A Place to Call Home
by masia
Summary: A 'house-guest' awaits the Cullens as they make the move from Alaska to Forks. Who is she and what does she want? Even Alice cannot see the impact she will have on the future of the family, especially Edward. Not your average All Vampire fic.
1. Chapter 1

Bella POV

_Twilight_, I mused, gazing over the vast evergreen expanse below my hillside perch. It struck me as odd that I should arrive at my new 'home' just as nature brings the day to an end. Of course, any human looking at the cloud cover above would be unable to discern the pinkish hue giving way to darkness. _Perhaps I am becoming a philosopher of sorts in my old age_, I thought with a small smile. Fifty-one makes me practically a newborn in the eyes of many of my fellows, but to your average human I had achieved 'antique' status.

I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath, seeking the sometimes elusive scent of my prey…to no avail.

It is late in the season – end of August – and I am hopeful that I can make use of the many summer cabins scattered throughout the peninsula for shelter. Next to hunting finding a 'home' – however temporary – was at the top of my list. And with any luck I should be able to find a vacated cabin. Glancing at the light mist creeping toward me from the east and the already saturated earth below my feet, I decided that locating shelter would have to occur soon after hunting. The likelihood of muddy hunting conditions in this place would definitely necessitate a working shower. _A good second goal_, I thought, _now if only…_

The wind abruptly shifted and brought with it the delicious aroma I was seeking. My eyes flitted to the south. A faint trail of smoke was rising to meet the scarce pink glow now just visible behind the clouds. A faint smile touched my lips. _Perhaps twilight is appropriate for my arrival on some level_, I considered before bounding down the hill in the direction of the smoke.

*****

Edward POV

"Carlisle, are you quite certain that we should return to Forks?" I asked. Then I politely, but unnecessarily, awaiting his voiced reply already knowing his reply.

"All will be well, Edward. The Quileutes will continue to honor the treaty and, besides, Alice has foreseen no problems awaiting us," Carlisle paused, before adding, "It would be such a shame to leave the house we just had built empty."

"Awe, don't worry about Eddie, Dad," Emmett interjected from the next room, "it's probably just new-school jitters." Emmett's guffaw at his own joke soon followed.

Carlisle continued to watch me.

"Playing devil's advocate, I suppose," I stated in response to his silent question. I truly did not have a valid reason to question the move.

After a few more moments of staring and running through his laundry-list of reasons why I might be resisting in his head, a mischievous smile touched his lips.

"I'm certain that you are more than welcome to stay here, of course. I'll just contact Tanya…" he began, but my answering wince was enough to stop his teasing.

"I think I will retire for the evening," Carlisle said softly, "Be at ease, my son. Just think, soon we will once again have mountain lion on the menu." With that brief, somewhat comforting reminder he made his way to his and Esme's room.

With Carlisle's departure I drifted over to the window to gaze at the darkening sky. It was August, so the sun was setting at about 10:30 pm. _At least twilight occurs at a reasonable hour year round in Forks_, I thought blankly. A sudden blur crossed my line of vision, only to come to a halt directly in front of the window. Tanya paused to lift her hand in farewell before continuing her run. Her parting thought lingered. _I'll miss you, Edward._

With a sigh, I turned away from the retreating figure. _On second thought, we have been in Alaska for a while now_, I mused.


	2. Chapter 2

_I realized that I forgot to remind everyone that I am not Ms. Meyer incognito. There is no money in this for me. I am a long-time fanfic reader but a first-time writer._

*****

Bella POV

Sated, I briskly ran from the campsite in search of suitable shelter. The quarry had been well worth the effort. Not only did I procure clothing in my size, but it was what my former mentor would have called a 'two-fer' with her light southern accent. They were obviously two high school kids who snuck off for some unchaperoned alone-time. _Yes, Victoria, my old friend, you would have been amused_, I thought. It had been about a decade since I last heard from her or James, my one-time coven-partners. Victoria's last news had been to report an addition to the coven, a Frenchman by the name of Laurent. She had not too subtly hinted that I might find him interesting. _Well maybe…_ _Perhaps I should invite them for a visit once I find a place to stay,_ I considered.

As I continued this line of thought I found a small river leading northwest, which I decided to follow. I passed a very rustic-appearing cabin which was clearly occupied. Seeing no reason to eat again, I continued onward. It must have been about an hour later that I saw it.

A beautiful, white house that nearly glowed in the darkness stood before me. The air hinted at no recent occupants and I felt mesmerized by its appearance. I cautiously approached the back sliding door; it was, of course, locked. After testing all of the lower level doors and windows, I spotted a window on the second floor that appeared to be slightly ajar. After securing my newly collected backpack of clothing, I sprang and grasped the windowsill with one hand. I used the other to push the pane aside and nimbly leapt inside.

The room was rather large and offered an excellent view of the surrounding wilderness with its many windows. An entire wall of the room was covered with shelving too closely spaced to accommodate most books. _Perhaps these are for collectibles_, I considered. A desk sat alone without a chair. Two floor lamps sat on the floor next to the table with tightly-wound cords still taped to their sides and no light bulbs to be seen. The final piece of furniture was a large, black couch still covered in shrink-wrap from its seemingly recent delivery. _Well it certainly lacks that 'lived-in' feeling_, I thought, taking in the smell of recently applied paint.

The rest of the home was similar in appearance to the room through which I gained entry. New furniture lined the unadorned walls greeted me in each room. To my delight a piano sat in the center of the first-floor great room. It had been too long since I had had the opportunity to play. Overall, the home had an openness and light quality that was very pleasing. Although I had originally planned to seek out a small cabin this place was feeling like a better option all the time. _Now, for the real deciding factor…_my thought trailed off as I stepped into a bathroom, turned the faucet and was rewarded with running water. I smiled and spoke aloud, "Home, sweet home_._"


	3. Chapter 3

Edward POV

The family was entirely focused on the task at hand. We certainly had the art of moving down to a science. None of the furniture was coming with us, of course, which simplified things. It was to remain in our Alaska home for our next visit or move to the north. I also understood that leaving the furniture behind have Esme a chance to flex her interior design muscles in the new space. Although the new house was supposed to be something of a surprise, unfortunately for Esme, between her exuberant thoughts on the subject and my gift, I knew what to expect. But for her sake I would at least act surprised.

After boxing the last of my personal effects – primarily books and CDs – I wandered into the family room. Alice and Jasper were lounging on the couch, having finished packing shortly before me. A smile graced Alice's face as she glance my way offering a silent _hello_. Then, I watched as her posture shifted slightly and her sharp golden eyes became unfocused. After nearly 50 years of living with her I instantly recognized the tell-tale signs of one of her visions and I decided to join her for the show.

As the mists of the vision cleared I saw a figure wandering in a dark space away from our perspective. A delicate, white hand reached out to graze along what appeared to be empty helves. As the vision focused I noticed the long, dark hair trailing behind her and a sweet, floral scent that clung to her. _A female vampire then,_ I thought. _It was,_ I mused, _a very nice scent._ The vision's perspective shifted as the girl turned to, apparently, explore her surroundings. Still with her back to us I saw a large open room lined with floor-to-ceiling windows and new furniture. I nearly gasped, suddenly recognizing the layout of my room. The girl continued to explore my room and then the rest of the house – all the while facing away from us. Finally, she entered the bathroom and turned on the faucet. As the water flowed from the faucet, the perspective shifted to almost directly behind her. We were finally offered a view of her face. This time I did gasp. A hauntingly beautiful face softly smiled down at the water running over one of her hands. Her angelic voice then whispered, "Home, sweet home" as she finally looked up into the mirror. The crimson eyes seemed to bore directly into – for lack of a better term – my soul.

The vision broke off and I found myself staring at Alice and a very curious looking Jasper. Silence ensued and I took in Jasper's growing impatience.

"Anything good?" he asked at last, hooping to break the staring contest between Alice and me.

Finally I voiced the same – the only question ringing through both our minds, "Who is she?"

Alice blinked and replied with an even, "No idea, Edward."

"That is the new house," I informed her. Her eyes widened minutely and we lapsed into silence.

Picking up on our introspective moods, Jasper gently pushed us to focus with his gift. It was one of the tricks he had used countless times to rein in distracted newborns. Alice glanced at Jasper, recognizing his handy-work with a repentant smile.

"Sorry, Jaz. It's nothing to worry about – I think," she paused before looking back at me with a smirk on her face, "It seems that Edward can expect a new roommate when we arrive in Forks."

I was shocked by my reaction to her comment; the idea was not entirely unwelcome. I remembered the lovely face in the mirror framed with dark curtains of hair. Then the piercing red eyes registered and a frown crossed my features.

"Come on, Alice, Jasper. We need to speak to the rest of the family."


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for the encouragement guys! I hope everyone States-side had a fantastic Thanksgiving and successful Black Friday. _

_This chapter is a bit short too, but I will try to make them longer in the future. Yes, Bella is a human-drinker. To me it seems reasonable that without Carlisle's guidance most vampires would be. In time all will be reveal about Bella's past._

Bella POV

After a much-needed shower and a fresh set of clothing I decided to explore around the house and yard a bit more. My wanderings took me into the spacious bedrooms upstairs and what would probably turn into a study or perhaps a library, given the large built-in book shelves. The beds were set up and included uncovered box-springs and mattresses; the walls were all freshly painted and lacked any pictures. Clearly the owner intended to complete the 'look' him- or herself. Moving down the spiral staircase I returned to the ground floor. I glanced into the gourmet kitchen. _No doubt the owner's ride and joy,_ I thought with a shrug. Of course it held little interest for me. Ultimately, the most noteworthy feature downstairs proved to be the pristine grand piano. My fingers nearly itched to play it, but I resisted for now, resolving instead to continue my exploration. I moved to the wall of windows at the rear of the house and gazed at the river and forest beyond. I had already seen this part of the property, so I resolutely turned and moved away from the windows.

Unlocking the front door I stepped onto the stoop. The smell of pine trees, rain and nearby woodland animals instantly greeted me, as did a light mist. Evidently the house was somewhat isolated, as I detected no human scent in the air. Between my search for shelter and exploration indoors I had wiled away the night, and the faint gray light of dawn filtered through the mist. I noticed a gravel driveway leading directly away from the front of the house, presumably to a road. I would have the follow the outlet later. Instead I walked along the gravel path in the opposite direction as it wrapped around the side of the house. I found myself looking at the side of a large structure that my mind initially labeled as a barn. I smiled, shaking away the thought. _This is hardly a farm._ _Still, the large structure has to serve some purpose, _I considered. I followed the path as it curved to the front of the structure and spotted the three garage doors. The building's purpose became clear. Surely there was enough room in the building for at least ten cars.

Opening one of the unlocked garage doors, I took in the interior. Three brand new vehicles greeted me at the end of the structure. I also noticed two car lifts off to the side of the structure and plenty of storage space for any number of tools. _This guy is pretty serious about cars, _I thought and decided to have a closer look at the vehicles. The gigantic, black hummer caught my eye first. Definitely not my style, but I could understand its utility if the owner intended to off-road in the muddy, hilly terrain. Next to it sat a red sports car of some sort – automotive trivia had never been my cup of tea. The ostentatious little number promised lots of speed and most certainly lots of attention. _Hardly necessary or desired_, I thought as I turned my eyes to the last car in the lineup. It was sleek, silver and understated. _Much better,_ came the thought. I approached the car and found it to be unlocked.

"I couldn't possibly be that lucky…" my voice trailed off as I looked to the ignition. A glint of silver flashed before my eyes, the key chain twisting slightly with the opening of the door. A large smile spread over my face as I slid into the driver's seat.


	5. Chapter 5

_Thanks again for the support. Any useful criticism is welcome as well. Hopefully this nice, long chapter – for me at least – will keep everyone sated until next weekend. Remember, Edward likely only needs to feed once a week, and so it shall be for you my hungry readers. Please enjoy._

Edward POV

Alice's vision broke off with her bell-like laughter filling the SUV. Anyone else would have labeled her a lunatic with a reaction so seemingly out of nowhere, but the family had long since come to expect such things. She glanced at me and her laughter subsided into giggles as she said, "I'm sorry Edward, but that was just a bit too reminiscent of the story of _The Three Bears_."

After filling Jasper in on the mystery girl's explorations, she concluded the account with the girl's car selection, making a point to add that mine was 'just right'. Her giggles returned with a vengeance and were joined by Jasper's snort of amusement.

"I'm sorry, Edward, truly," Alice said after the giggles again subsided, "But she even paused near your piano. I could tell that she wanted to play. You two seem to have similar tastes."

I caught a flash of hope flit through her mind which she quickly chased away. It was times like these that my gift was something of a nuisance. Catching passing thoughts like these were always awkward. Alice looked away, guilty that she did not check this thought.

Of course I know that the family worried about my solitude, but in truth it had never bothered me. For me the company of the family had always sufficed, and the only time that finding a mate crossed my mind was when one of their thoughts strayed in that direction. Carlisle and Esme, in particular, worried about me being the 'odd man out', especially after Tanya. Tanya, my lovely friend who had tried so hard to connect with me on an intimate level during our stay in Alaska… I felt a bit of guilt as I remembered the hurt in her eyes when I was finally forced to make my rejection clear. I had never felt passionate love – the kind of love I had read about and seen portrayed countless times. With a mental shrug I mused, _one cannot miss what one has never known._

Of their own accord my thoughts turned to the girl from Alice's vision. Seeing her in the pre-dawn light allowed me to better take in her features. The dark hair turned out to be a lush mahogany with faint red highlights. It contrasted nicely against her pale skin. She had a delicate bone-structure and full, pink lips. The red eyes were expected, or course, but they somehow seemed softer in the light. She wore skinny jeans and a deep blue blouse that complimented her pale skin. My thoughts then turned to her face upon opening the door to my Volvo. The way she lit up…_beautiful_, came the unbidden thought.

_Edward? _ The silent question from Jasper in the backseat pulled me from my reverie. I looked at him through the rear view mirror. Alice had her head on his shoulder and his head likewise rested on hers. He looked at me from the corner of his eyes with an arched eyebrow. I realized that he was picking up on my emotions.

"It's nothing," I whispered softly. He continued to look – and think for that matter – skeptical but decided to let it slide. _If you say so,_ was his silent reply.

I deliberately shifted my thoughts to the family's conversation only hours ago. Alice had explained her vision to everyone and I offered a few comments along with her. The family's reactions were, to a certain extent, predictable. Emmet was excited at the prospect of a fight. Alice shot him down before he finished his second sentence on the topic. Jasper said little, but he was edgier and more nervous than usual. Esme instantly felt compassion for the girl – who we all assumed to be a nomad. Her heart was practically swelling when she heard the 'home, sweet home' sentiment. Rosalie, after making sure that the girl was not destroying *her* garage, shrugged her shoulders with indifference. However, in typical Cullen fashion the decision on how to proceed ultimately fell to Carlisle.

We were to leave for Forks as soon as we finished packing. Jasper, Alice and I left a little ahead of the rest in Jasper's blue Explorer. Esme and Carlisle were following in Carlisle's Mercedes. Emmett and Rosalie brought up the rear in the moving truck; Emmett always insisted on driving the truck. The plan was to regroup a few miles from the house, leaving the cars and truck behind. We did not want to frighten her away before having a chance to speak with her. Alice was trying to pin down the results of the confrontation, but she claimed that the girl's plans for the day were still evolving. Once Alice's vision cleared we were to finalize the plan. Jasper insisted on stealth and would work with Carlisle to fine-tune the approach strategy upon our arrival at the meeting place. Carlisle was not opposed to another addition the family, but obliviously the red eyes were a concern. Rosalie's question as to whether she had hunted in the land covered by the treaty was met with silence. Everyone's eyes strayed to Alice who merely shrugged. Esme eventually voiced the group's same thought, that we would have to wait and find out tomorrow.

Another vision interrupted my thoughts. At its conclusion Alice gazed at me and said with a hint of sadness, "Oh, Edward, it will be such a shame to interrupt her performance, don't you think?"

The sight of the girl at the piano focused and swaying to one of my favorite classical pieces filled my mind. "A shame…yes," came my absent-minded reply. Then another melody – one I had never heard before – began to form in my mind as the girl continued to fill my thoughts.


	6. Chapter 6

Bella POV

The sound of screeching tires and the smell of burning rubber filled my sense as I peeled out onto the highway. It was early enough that the road was free from of any other traffic. The mist had lifted but – predictably – the cloud cover remained. I rolled down all of the windows. As exhilarating as running could be, there was nothing quite like racing on an open road at 90 mph with so many delightful smells swirling around me. Although the 'outdoorsy' scents differed, the car and the wind brought to mind hunting with my one-time coven partner, Victoria.

It was not uncommon for Victoria and me to find ourselves hunting apart from James when he was off on one of his 'grand pursuits'. Victoria preferred to have a vehicle for one of her favorite hunting games – urban predator. The game usually began with identifying a 'suitable' car, which always took a considerable amount of time. For Victoria 'suitable' and 'Italian-made roadster' are synonymous. Then a short break-in, hot-wire and joy ride later we began our hunt. Windows down – or uncovered in the case of convertibles – we threaded the city streets. The prey varied, from a soldier on leave who could not believe his 'good luck' to a convenience store worker on a smoke break to a couple steaming up the windows in the minivan borrowed from one of their parents.

Victoria always seemed to savor the couples. It took nearly ten years before she offered a glimpse as to why this was the case. I learned that it had something to do with her own transformation – in truth her only remaining human memory. She and her husband or fiancée – she could not be sure about this anymore – were wandering along a remote beach in New Hampshire. It was well into the fall and the beach was entirely empty except for the two of them. She could not recall what was said between the two of them, but she remembered the kiss they shared. Pure bliss followed by excruciating pain. The vampire tasted her first but switched to her paramour when he made a break for it. The vampire returned and decided not to kill her. She later found out that she reminded her creator, Ciaran, of his long-dead, human daughter. When the burning subsided her first act of immortality was to bury the rotting corpse of her beau on the beach, somehow ignoring the sharp pain in her throat. Although Victoria could no longer remember his name, she still recalled that she loved him a great deal.

How this translated into relishing couples during the hunt I never fully understood. Much to my former coven members' dismay I was 'strictly business' when it came to hunting, receiving no particular pleasure from toying with my food. Were it not for James and Victoria's amusement with such games I would have hunted as efficiently then as I have for the last 15 years away from them. Still my thoughts continued to gravitate toward them more recently and there was the prospect of meeting the Frenchman Victoria had raved about…_Laurent, was it?_

I turned left into a residential area near what must pass for the downtown area. It was still quite early, well before 6 am, and I searched for a residence that would likely have a computer and internet connection. Soon a shiny, black BMW that was sure to have a navigation device caught my eye. _Looks like just the kind of consumers who will have a computer handy_, I thought. I managed to easily break into the house. A laptop sat on the edge of the coffee table in the living room, and the blinking lights on the apparatus under the flat screen promised a wireless internet connection. A delicious aroma wafted down from the stairwell and four, slow heartbeats told me that the residents were still asleep. With a decided effort I returned my attention to the laptop, switching it on with a quick flip of a button. In a matter of moments I composed my short email to Victoria, inviting her coven to visit me in Forks if they were in need of a distraction.

I heard a rustling upstairs accompanied by a quickening heartbeat. A flame lit my throat and, in a flash – literally – I was on the landing just below the second level. The rustling grew louder and I soon heard two feet lightly touch the carpeted floor. The restless, thumping heart seemed to chant my name…_Bell—a, Bell—a, Bell—a…_ I took a few more steps beyond the landing inhaling the promising smells. Then a young child's voice called out shrilly, "Daddy?! There's a monster in here!"

More quickly than I had climbed to the landing I found myself outside, reaching for the door to my 'borrowed' car. The distance from the human scents quickly helped me to clear my head and eased the burning in my throat. Even in my wild days as a newborn I had had no palate for children. James had often joked that I was missing the 'sweetest, freshest meals'.

I shook my head minutely as I pulled away from the house. It was almost certain that the child awoke from a bad dream, for my approach was silent as always. _All the same it is an odd coincidence…_

In my mind I heard the child's voice again calling out 'daddy'. The face my own human father, Charlie, flashed before me, even though I had certainly never addressed him as 'daddy'. Unlike Victoria my human memories remained reasonably well intact. A brief smile touched my lips as I thought what Charlie might have said about the strange occurrence. _Waste not, want not, Bella. You just ate a short while ago after all._ Well, at least, I supposed that he would have come up with something along those lines as long as he ignored what the actual meal itself had been.

I drove through the small town, noting the sparse storefronts and tiny municipal buildings. The high school caught my eye; it was very likely the largest structure in the town. Other buildings flashed by, which I took in with distracted interest. The child's voice again rang in my head, but this time another word stuck out, 'monster'. I had never had any illusions about what I was and I had certainly never felt any shame. But for some reason that word uttered in the child's voice touched me in a way that I could not properly understand._ All these feelings…it must be something about this town,_ I considered. 

Very soon I reached the far side of Forks and saw a sign listing 34 miles to the city of Port Angeles. I resolved to continue my explorations there before returning. Hopefully the drive would allow me to evaluate these mysterious feelings. I found myself settling into an uneasy mood. I thought about the house to which I would return and almost instantly I felt soothed. Unbidden, a smile touched my lips as I considered the prominent fixture on the first floor. _Well if the drive doesn't calm me, then I think a little Debussy just might do the trick…_


	7. Chapter 7

_I hope everyone enjoys this chapter; it is my favorite one so far. I have a business trip to Seattle this week, so hopefully the environment will inspire me for the next chapter…the confrontation chapter. Also I am working on my 'writing endurance' as it were, and future chapters should be longer. As always, any feedback (+ or -) is very much appreciated._

***

Edward POV

It had taken the better part of 24 hours to reach Washington, even with our speeding and taking breaks only to refuel the vehicles. Jasper and Alice took turns in the driver's seat making a game out of maximizing the fuel efficiency of the SUV. Of course, Alice chose parts of the drive that were predominantly downhill, easily besting Jasper and me. It took a great deal of effort to keep my thoughts away from the girl in Alice's visions. In addition to reciting Hamlet in its entirety in my head twice, I had sung my favorite song for each year of my existence. I was up to 1980 when I heard Alice's soft gasp.

As the vision cleared I easily recognized the primordial trees and greenery of the Olympic rainforest. The sound of running echoed off of the tree trunks and canopy above. Two blurs of motion approached and crashed one after another into a fallen, moss-covered tree. The flash of bronze merely cracked the tree; it was the mahogany blur that followed which split the tree completely in two. The resulting impact was a resounding crack likely heard for several miles. As chunks of moss, wet bark and splinters of wood settled to the forest floor a peeling laughter filled the air.

With a flip of her rich, brown hair she – our Forks visitor – sprang to her feet. "So this is how you Cullens manage? If you cheat during a race," she paused still laughing lightly, h er red eyes alight with mischief, "then I can hardly believe that you to stick to this…vegetarian diet of yours."

An indignant snort sounded from behind one half of the fallen tree. Her compatriot somersaulted from the ground, and he lifted his amused, half-smiling face. The completely obvious and yet involuntary thought, _it's me,_ flashed through my mind as my doppelganger opened his mouth to speak, "I hardly call re-designating the end of the race *cheating* after we reached the river in a dead heat. We can certainly go again after we have hunted." He paused and crossed his arms before continuing, "And in case you haven't noticed…" here he paused and uncurled an arm to point to one dark-golden eye, "…my family sticks to the diet."

The girl's face appeared somewhat puzzled as he spoke, offering no interruption. Her eyes tracked his hand's movement to his face and followed until she gazed directly into his eyes. Silence ensued and was broken as she took a few, relatively slow – for a vampire at least – steps to stand in close proximity to him. Nearly a minute passed as the two were seemingly entranced. Slowly her hand rose and ghosted along his cheek and jawbone. I was amazed by the warmth that filled me with this simple act of intimacy.

"I think you are incr –" her voice nearly broke and she quickly looked away, " – I mean, your family is incredible." Her gaze drifted up to his hair and her hand quickly plucked a piece of moss still trapped in the bronze locks before continuing, "It is almost impossible for me to comprehend living on animal blood for as long as you have. You have such strength, such conviction."

Her hand returned to her side, but they maintained their close proximity. The silence and gazing resumed. This time it was broken by the sound of hooves in the distance. Her face turned in the direction of the noise before looking back at him with a raised eyebrow and skeptical expression on her face.

"Dinner awaits, I presume?" a brief flash of something approximating distasted passed over her features as she took in the deer's scent. She stepped away and ran a few feet in the direction of the deer. "Come on then, Edward. I thought you were thirsty." With that she wheeled around a raced ahead.

He remained frozen for another moment staring after her, before a small smile appeared. The faintest of whispers was heard before he followed her, "Coming, Bella."

The vision abruptly cleared and my eyes searched out Alice who was now in the driver's seat. She was bouncing with such exuberance that I thought her seatbelt might snap. Incidentally, none of the family understood why she bothered to wear a seatbelt, but she always made a point to do so.

"Oh, Bella is such a lovely name!" she exclaimed, looking first to me then to Jasper for our nods of agreement. "Edward, that was so sweet. It looks like she will at least stay with us for a while," she said without bothering to check her excitement at the prospect of romance in my life. I frowned minutely and, with a roll of her eyes, she continued, "You were hardly frowning in that vision, brother dear."

Jasper's impatience to hear the story touched us and Alice filled him in on the details. I listened with half an ear until she reached the part about the girl – Bella – touching my face.

"…and then her hand cupped his cheek and her fingertips caressed his jaw all the way down to his lips," she described, her voice fairly dripping with honey. _No one has a flair for the dramatic quite like, Alice_, I thought. "Now here is where it gets very interesting!" she said with, amazingly, even more enthusiasm. "She started to tell Edward that he is incredible, but she became embarrassed and instead told him that the family is incredible. Naturally," she nodded her agreement with the sentiment about the family. "Then she tried to downplay her caress by pretending that her intention was to pull a bit of moss from Edward's hair. I have to say that she is not the best actress I've ever met," here she paused to glance apologetically in my direction before describing the rest of the vision for Jasper.

Jasper split his time between watching Alice and reading my feelings. I was fairly certain that he picked up on both my sentiment that Alice was exaggerating about the 'caress' and the warmth that returned all the same when she described the action.

"Wish I could have picked up on her feelings for you, Edward," Jasper's light Southern accented voice sounded. Then with a quick wiggle of his eyebrows his thoughts continued, _trust me it's a handy trick with the ladies._

My only response to him was a light snort which caused Alice to look up, "What did I miss?"

Jasper quickly pulled the map from his lap and announced that we had about 3 hours remaining before we reached Forks. This announcement was enough to distract Alice. We decided to update the others when we reached our location for ditching the vehicles.

After that vision it was impossible _not_ to think about her. _Bella…the name suits her,_ I decided. In my mind the new melody was taking on an ever-sweeter quality, never louder than mezzo-forte. _A lullaby, _I realized, _it definitely belongs to her…Bella's Lullaby._ A slightly sarcastic corner of my mind pointed out that she hardly slept, but I quickly pushed away the thought.

Another brief vision flashed before Alice's eyes and she turned to me. If she could have cried she would have. "Oh…Edward…it's been so long since you have composed…so sweet…so beautiful. She is going to love it!"

My only reply was a smile. _Hopefully so…_


	8. Chapter 8

8-Bella-POV

Having quickly tuned the gleaming grand piano, I took my seat on the bench. My fingers began dancing up and down the ebony and ivory keys before me, as I 'warmed up' with the major scales. Of course the warm up was entirely unnecessary, as my cool fingers were nimble and sure at any moment. It was just something of a habit left over from my human past. The scales inevitably made me think of my mother. The last time I had told my human story was to James and Victoria over 20 years ago now. They were shocked at my ability to recall the past; James even went so far as to call it my 'gift'. _Hm, gift or curse?_ I considered. My father's voice drifted through my head, 'We are the sum of our experiences, Bella.' A smile flashed across my face. Charlie was always so grounded – a rock – whereas Renee was like a sailboat drifting in the open sea. It was never a dull moment with my mother.

My mind recalled her passion and spirit as she gave me my first piano lessons. I was quite young when the lessons began, my stubby legs swinging in the air well above the pedals. As fragmented as my mother's thoughts could be in basically all other aspects of life, she was remarkably focused when it came to piano lessons. She seemed sure that I had a future in music, one that I now suspect she thought was lost for her. However, some things can change in an instant...

I shifted to the minor scales.

My parents had married young, directly out of high school – not that this was particularly unusual in the late fifties. I was born one year into the marriage just after my mother's nineteenth birthday. She stayed at home and my father worked as a police office in our small, southern-Michigan town of Three Rivers. _Not too dissimilar from this place_, a small corner of my mind considered thinking of Forks and the surrounding area – however, the greater part of my mind continued contemplating my parent's story. From the outside they appeared to be a model couple: a stay-at-home mom raising her child and keeping house and the bread-winning dad working to keep the community safe for all. For his part, my father was content with this life. My mother, however…well, her discontent was not readily apparent, but rather bubbling just below the surface…

I started running through arpeggios.

The catalyst for change – or beginning of the end depending on one's point of view – turned out to be an official letter addressed to my father. I can still see my mother sitting at the dining room table, staring at the unopened letter. I am sure that her fingers itched to open it, even though she was somehow able to resist. It was so unlike her to remain so quiet – that is probably why the memory is particularly vivid. As soon as my father came home and received the usual peck on the cheek from his wife, she promptly held the letter out to him without a word.

There, in the foyer, he tore into the letter without so much as removing his hat and softly read the letter out loud to my mother. By the end her face remained unchanged, blank; his eyes stared down at the rug and his jaw was set. It was 1965 and US engagement in Vietnam was escalating. He had been drafted and needed to report for training in 6 weeks. They held their silence, which struck me as odd even at the tender age of seven. Silence from Charlie was to be expected, but continued silence from Renee was very perplexing. She simply turned away from him and returned to the kitchen to tend to dinner.

The ideal family façade continued until my father left for training in California. He would not be returning to us before deployment. Even a few weeks after he was gone life at home remained much the same, with the exception of his prompt arrival each night at 5:30 pm. However, when the time came for a change it was instantaneous, like a cyclone. My mother later described her feelings during this time as 'a groovy rush of freedom…like a caged bird set loose by its oppressors…' In short my mother became a 'born-again' hippy.

She was still in her mid-twenties and in many ways carried herself much younger than that. All it took was a group of traveling folk artists to convince her to hit the road. She helped the rag-tag band fine-tune some of their songs and quickly took on the style and lingo popular in the group. She was 'rescued' from her mundane housewife-dom and 'born-again' as a child of the '60s. The fact that she had a child of her own to care for was but a minor detail.

Over the course of the next few years my education could be described as 'spotty at best'. Mostly, I was able to entertain myself with books I was able to scrounge up; that and my mother occasionally dropped me off at public libraries while she went off to some protest or gathering. I grew up fast, quickly becoming – out of necessity really – a parent figure to my mother. Unfortunately even I could not reach her after she discovered drugs a few years into our trek.

We found ourselves at Woodstock in the fall of 1969. I remember being pleased because this concert was the culmination of everything my mother loved and valued since we left home. It was there, after I found her passed-out and unresponsive even before the music started when it really crystallized for me: I was not her mother and I could not pretend to be so. Later, as she lay in the hospital, I called one of the few phone numbers I still remembered, my father's police station. It turned out that he had been back for over a year and had been frantically searching for us.

My father drove through the night to get to us. I could still recall my relief at seeing his limping form before he scooped me up into his arms. Shrapnel from a 'friendly' bomb had ensured two things for Charlie: first, that he would have a limp on his right side for the rest of his life and second, that he was honorably discharged with a Purple Heart. My father – man of few words that he was – had sent only two letters over the duration of his deployment. He had probably hoped for but certainly expected no reply from our end. I can scarcely image his panic when he returned to an empty house, his unopened letters and no hint as to our whereabouts.

I continued with chord progressions.

Once she awoke, my mother made it quite clear that she was not returning to Michigan. They kept me away from their discussions with one another but the marriage was clearly over, at least from my mother's perspective. I knew that I would miss her terribly – and the decision was not lightly made – but I asked to return with Charlie. Although I was unable to verbalize it then, I now understand that I was yearning for some structure in my life. My father, with his police and military background, certainly offered me that.

Life with my father provided much needed stability. My return to Michigan allowed me to attend school regularly and establish permanent friendships. My father and I shared an understanding when it came to personal space. He had very few hard and fast rules, and there was really only one that would push him over the edge. I was never allowed to play the piano in our house again. It became a dust-collecting shrine of sorts. Charlie never explained his reasoning for this and I never asked.

I abruptly stopped playing.

My thoughts became a little more fragmented as I thought about what came next. It had been a bout of teen-age foolishness…prompted by a fight with Charlie – about what I could no longer recall – and a particularly heart-wrenching letter from my mother… Images flashed quickly through my head…hastily packing and sneaking out in the early morning…a Greyhound bus to Florida…the balmy summer heat…a peaceful commune in the Everglades…my mother's teary eyes…_**him**_…blood everywhere…molten lava flowing through my veins…

I closed my eyes and cut-off that line of thought. _Did I or did I not decide to sit at the piano to calm myself?_

After a moment my hands rose once again to the keys and the first few notes instantly relaxed me. _Nothing soothes the soul like Claire de Lune…hm, is that sunshine I smell…?_

_A/N: Sorry to disappoint anyone looking for the confrontation, but I decided to add some more info on Bella's back story before showing you how she reacts to the Cullens. She is, by necessity, out of character to the Bella we know from the books mostly due to her baseline 'vampire-ness'. Hopefully, having some more info on where she came from will make her more…I hesitate to call it 'endearing'…let's call it 'real' instead._


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Here's the one we've been waiting for! It's a long chapter for me, so hopefully this will tide everyone over until next weekend. I fear that family, holidays, snow emergencies etc. are going to delay my next post until then. Please enjoy!_

Edward-POV

The family was in motion, all of us following Jasper as we ran in the direction of the house. In a few minutes before the white façade would appear before us, and then it was just a matter of speaking with our unexpected guest…Bella.

Once we had arrived at our location to drop the automobiles, Jasper and Carlisle reviewed and fine tuned our approach strategy – with a more than a little input from Alice. Jasper decided to approach from the east, so that we were running against the wind. Alice confirmed that the wind would not shift until after we spoke with the girl, and we could, therefore, expect to conceal our scents during the approach. She hinted that based on our current plans we would end up speaking with Bella around the river. It was decided that Carlisle, Jasper and Rosalie would enter through the front door and attempt to speak with her. Hazy though it might be, Alice was reasonably certain that the future included some sort of pursuit. The rest of the family was to fan out around the house, concentrating on the backyard – near the river.

Beyond that, much to Alice's dismay, the immediate future was ever-changing and hazy at best. The vision of Bella and me racing through the forest was even less firm than it had been before. Alice's thoughts were saddened by this, and honestly mine were too. This Bella seemed interesting from what we had gleaned in Alice's visions. _It would be a shame to miss out on what I had seen of her humor…her music…her scent –_

_Edward! _Jasper's mind cut off my thoughts, _it's time to focus. If you are going to be distracted, then I am keeping Alice with me_. After a brief pause, _well?_

I sighed softly, which Jasper took to be acquiescence to his warning. That and he tasted my mood, noting that the brief flash of melancholia had passed. He had made me promise to watch over Alice in the backyard since they would be separated – without her knowledge of course. She had been known to get a little indignant when Jasper became what she called 'overbearing and overprotective' and what he called 'sensible and cautious'.

The mist ahead of us had a slight reddish tone reflecting the last few rays of sunshine trying to reach us through the gloom. And just as Alice had seen it, the house materialized like a specter before us. Jasper held his hand out to slow us to a stop about 50 yards away, and we began circling the house as previously planned.

Chord progressions could be heard coming from the piano in the house, but other than that I would not _hear_ her – Bella. A small frown crossed my features. _Perhaps she is completely engrossed in the chords…_ Doubt tempered this thought. I had heard enough musicians play to understand that one's thoughts tended to drift ahead considering finger placements, key changes, counting, etc. But none of the usual, expected thoughts could be _heard_.

I concentrated and opened myself completely, trying not to block any of the thoughts around me. I heard Alice congratulating herself at predicting that Bella would be playing the piano when we arrived, Jasper mulling over Bella's fluctuating feelings, Carlisle considering which words might soothe the seemingly skittish girl, Rosalie wondering how the girl would compare to her own beauty, Esme hoping that all of our precautions were for naught and Emmett hoping, naturally, hoping for at least a bit of a fight. The usual _voices_ of my family greeted me, yet there was not a whisper from Bella. Were it not for the music and her diffuse scent outside the house I would not have believed that there was anyone inside.

By now Alice, Emmett, Esme and me had spaced ourselves in the backyard. There had been a brief pause in the music coming from the house, and, had I not known that our 'greeting party' was still a good distance from the front door, I would have guessed that she stopped due to their arrival. I snuffed lightly with annoyance. Even though the back of the house had enormous windows, the piano was placed just so that our musician could not be observed. I sought out Jasper's mind, for he had the best vantage point through the house's front window.

Her eyes were closed tightly, clearly deep in thought…pain was evident in her expression and Jasper's read on her feelings confirmed this observation. _Clear as day on her face and yet there is no 'voice' to be heard! _ I nearly growled with frustration. After a few moments her face relaxed and she began to play softly – reverently even – one of my favorite pieces. Almost unconsciously I stepped closer to the house in the hopes to hear the song a little more clearly. I listened intently as she continued to play, relishing every bar.

A particularly strong gust of wind ruffled my hair and I heard Alice's mental gasp as a brief premonition came to her. Once it was over my eyes glanced up to the corner room – my room – and the window that was half open. By stepping closer to the house I was now upwind with respect to the window. My eyes flitted to Alice, who was rolling her eyes at me. It was now just a question of when she would notice…

Again I watched Bella through Jasper's mind. Her eyes were still closed, her expression still relaxed, and she was now moving slightly in time with the music. I watched as her face tilted slightly, as she unconsciously lifted her nose in the direction of something…something new in the air… It had obviously not yet registered to her what it was.

Fortunately, Jasper recognized her upturned nose for what it was and motioned Carlisle and Rosalie to follow him. They were halfway to the house when it happened.

Initially, a ghost of a smile touched her lips. A few more bars of Claire de Lune were heard. Then the smile gradually turned to a frown. Her eyebrows contracted very slightly, and then she took in a deep pull of air. Her reaction was immediate.

Abruptly her ruby eyes snapped open, and she stood with enough force to send the bench flying several feet behind her. Her eyes looked first in the direction of the staircase, and then she turned to survey the rest of the room before arriving on the front window. She held Jasper's gaze for a hundredth of a second before turning and running out of his line of sight. In the time it took for him to race to and open the front door, she was nowhere to be seen.

Bella-POV

_Hm…is that sunshine that I smell?_

I felt the corners of my mouth tug upward, as I wondered why in the world my mind would drum up such a smell. Not only was I in one of the least sunny areas of North America, but I also just happened to be playing a song that literally translates to the 'light of the moon'. _Maybe my thoughts of Florida brought back that remembered scent…but, wait, there is something else…_

I felt my smile fade as I leaned back – still playing – and took in a lungful of air. There was more this time. The sunshine remained but it was joined by other sweet, heavenly aromas…lilac…honey… They were not isolated aromas, but rather a collective scent…a vampire's scent.

_Someone is upstairs!_ The thought surged through my mind as a leapt away from the piano and snapped my head to the stairs. However, I quickly dismissed that thought noting that the scent was not as intense as I expected it would be if someone was inside the house with me. _Ah, through the window then…_ I recalled leaving the window open in the upstairs space I had adopted as 'my room'.

_So my visitor is outside then…but he must know I'm nearby. My scent is all around the house. _ My eyes turned from the stairs to each of the windows surrounding me. When I reached the window nearest the front door I encountered a pair of amber-colored eyes returning my gaze. I saw two others behind him, all of whom were rapidly approaching the front door. I took in his face, noting blond curls and so many scars that it was almost difficult to imagine someone surviving what must be several hundred attacks. _A fighter – and an experienced one at that…what could he want? _

The only fighters I knew of were a few of our kind who found sport in preying on other immortals and, of course, the Volturi. I had heard stories of both from various other vampires I had encountered over the years. _But what could they want with me?_ The blonde's menacing features on top of the violent stories I had heard about sport-seeking vampires and the Italian coven made me anxious to avoid any contact with whoever they were. _What I wouldn't give to have Victoria with me now; she always had an escape plan_, I lamented momentarily. The blonde and his companions were quickly approaching the front door, so I had to make a decision.

Wheeling around, I raced up the stairs even as I heard the door below opening. With the inlet of air behind them their scents assaulted me. It was like sensory overload; I had never been around so many of my kind before. In an instant I was through the door and into 'my room'. Ignoring my bag of clothing on the floor, I briefly surveyed the backyard and side yard visible through the windows. I saw three figures below, and the original scent I had smelled was even stronger. _How many of them are there?!_ My mind whirled, even as I heard my pursuers climbing the stairs behind me.

I was running toward the open window without so much as turning to face the individuals now at the doorway. As I reached the window I heard one of them call "wait!" but I was already sailing through the air for a tree conveniently located not too far from the room. The voice somehow startled me; for some reason I had not thought that they would speak. My head turned and took in the figures behind me in an instant. The blonde, battle-scarred one stood at the window next to his cohort, another male with white-blond hair. Their third was not present. I noted the latter male's expression with interest. His arm was returning to his side as though he had been reaching for me and his eyes – amber again – looked slightly worried. Even more interesting was the fact that he did not appear to be looking _at_ me but rather _beyond_ me.

My head returned to the area in front of me, to the tree I had selected, and now to the bronze-haired vampire with whom I was about to collide. The impact was loud enough to startle nearby birds from their nests and probably loud enough to be heard in town. My hands grappled with his as we fell roughly to the ground, sending another somewhat softer crack into the night. I could really only see his hair and take in his sunshine-infused scent until I gave him rough shove that sent him into the tree from which we had fallen. I took in his face with a soft gasp, even as he looked into mine in seeming shock. Never in my existence had I encountered such an extraordinarily beautiful face. It, coupled with the strange amber-colored irises, was strikingly handsome.

His eyes suddenly flicked behind me and he started speaking, "Ros – "

I then found myself blindsided by one of his fellows. Long, blond hair crossed my line of vision as I rolled several feet back toward the river running behind the house. She jumped up and landed very near to me.

"Nobody attacks my brother!" her voice growled, sounding somehow more haughty than menacing.

I briefly considered whether the strange eye color they all had was associated with some sort of madness. _Surely she is delusional; her 'brother' – whatever that means –clearly jumped to intercept me._

Returning her growl I rolled twice and swept her feel out from under her. With a surprised squeal that quickly turned into an angry hiss she landed in the water next to us. She was standing almost instantly, her hair drenched and her delicate blouse likely ruined. Her eyes turned to me and I was greatly reminded of the phrase 'if looks could kill.'

One shrill-sounding word escaped her lips then, "Emmett!"

Another growl sounded, this time to my left. A large, strong-looking vampire – Emmett apparently – was entering a hunting crouch, his eyes on me. His muscles were coiled to spring when, yet another growl was heard from a rapidly moving figure. The handsome, bronze-haired one had settled into a hunting crouch of his own with his back to me, instead facing this Emmett. Indecision clearly crossed Emmett's features as he faced my bronze-haired…_savior?..._ Utilizing the moment of distraction, I looked for a means to escape and began to edge away from the semi-circle of onlookers. I turned away in the direction of the forest and was about to bolt when her soft cry stopped me in my tracks.

"Bella! Please, wait. We mean you no harm!" I did not look behind me immediately, knowing even with my back turned that this heartfelt cry had come from the female vampire furthest from me with the caramel colored hair.

A cyclone of thoughts raced through my mind. _Had they or had they not just chased me down and attacked me? Is it possible that it was a misunderstanding? They hadn't ganged up on me…and my 'savior' did jump in front of someone about to attack me… Who are they really? _

In the end, however, it was both the sincerity in the woman's voice and astonishment that convinced me to do what I did next. I turned and let my eyes take in each of their expectant faces. The bronze-haired God also looked anxious – it once again put me on edge. Then a sudden calm settled around me…inexplicably so. Their collective scent, which was initially so intensely distracting, now somehow seemed soothing and familiar. I felt my tension drain away and my curiosity became intense.

I cocked my head slightly and looked at the caramel-haired female. My voice was level and calm, "How do you know my name?"


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Happy New Year everyone. One of my resolutions this year probably should be more frequent updates – sorry. Please enjoy! _

Edward-POV

Bella's melodious voice sounded in my ears, "How do you know my name?" Her query was directed to Esme.

I remained in my crouch watching Emmett with both my eyes and my gift. Indecision remained in his mind, as he watched me warily, unsure why I was standing in front of Bella. He wondered vaguely at my fierce response and what it could mean. A smaller part of his mind was trying to determine how to deal with the inevitable fallout from Rosalie if the hostility was diffused and our discussion ended without a chance for 'revenge'.

Rosalie herself remained thigh-deep in the river. Her arms were folded across her chest and she was directing a death glare at Bella. Apparently Rosalie had decided that not only was she prettier than Bella, but that the girl must be a complete savage.

I briefly glanced behind me to take in Bella's expression with my own eyes instead of second-hand through the others. Her crimson gaze drifted to meet mine briefly. On her face I caught, surprise, curiosity and…gratefulness…? Jasper, who was naturally intensely focusing on her mood, confirmed this read and more. _Attraction? So she finds me attractive._ This knowledge sent sudden warmth radiating from my unbeating heart and extended out to my fingertips.

Jasper had positioned himself slightly in front of Alice, whose thoughts, as usual, were the loudest, most boisterous in my family. She was practically euphoric. To her it was firmly set; she was certain that Bella would stay. The visions came with such speed that made it difficult for me to follow…Bella hunting with me…Alice and Bella shopping…Bella with soft brown eyes as they transitioned from red to gold…all of us playing baseball… There was another part that Alice quickly cut off before I could see it properly. The measuring glance she sent in my direction confirmed that she was trying to hide something, but there was no time to delve...for now.

Carlisle was determined as ever to offer Bella the benefit of the doubt. He placed a serene smile on his face from his position just behind Esme. He reached out a hand to squeeze her shoulder and encourage her to address Bella.

Barely two seconds had passed since Bella's query had been posed which is a relatively long pause as far as vampire conversations go. Still Esme's voice managed to convey affection without any awkwardness despite the silence.

"My dear, I am so pleased that you paused to speak with us. Please rest assured that we intend you no harm," Esme paused briefly to throw a hard glance at Emmett, who relaxed his stance. I did the same.

"We have in our family a member who has visions, a gift to see possible futures," Alice offered a brilliant smile and wave as Esme continued, "Your name was mentioned in one such vision, and that is also how we were aware of your presence before our arrival here."

Surprise clearly registered on Bella's face as she turned to face Alice. Her gaze then shifted to the others surrounding her. I wagered that she was going to ask a follow up question about Alice's gift, but she surprised me…a relatively unusual occurrence. She was somewhat hesitant – cautious almost – when she spoke, "You call yourselves a _family_…not a coven?"

Esme's face took on an expression split between patience and understanding. We had fielded this question from other vampires numerous times in the past. She leaned forward in Bella's direction and had Carlisle's arm not been around her waist she likely would have approached the girl. "Yes, we call ourselves the Cullen family," her hand gestured to herself then Carlisle, "I am Esme and this is my husband, Carlisle."

She gestured to each of us as she continued, "These are Jasper and Alice." Jasper inclined his head and Alice offered another wave and exuberant, "Hello!"

"Rosalie and Emmett," she introduced the next couple. Rosalie was now in Emmett's arms, still glaring at Bella. Emmett lifted his chin in acknowledgement and tightened his grip around Rosalie.

"And finally Edward," I turned to Bella as Esme introduced me. Her large, crimson eyes met mine again and a ghost of a smile touched her lips. "Edward," her voice whispered as she nodded her head in greeting. I felt a thrill course through my body.

Shaking her head minutely she broke off her eye contact with me and, again, sought out Esme, "As you know, I am Bella. My full name is Isabella Swan." She paused probably in order to phrase her next question appropriately, "Can you tell me what your intentions are? What is your interest in meeting me this way?"

A derisive sounding snort came from Rosalie, "Don't flatter yourself! We are not interested in _you_; we are interested in why you are squatting in _our_ _house_."

Shock and indignation radiated from Bella following this statement. I was just barely able to check the growl forming in my chest. With sharp look from Carlisle, Rosalie turned her back to Bella and huffed into Emmett's chest.

Carlisle took two steps forward as he looked back to Bella, "As a matter of fact we wished to speak with you about the same matter, your intentions here. You see we are planning to utilize this house as our permanent residence for the next several years, but in order to do so we need to ensure that our…anonymity is maintained." He paused as a saw a question taking shape on her face.

"A _permanent_ residence?" disbelief colored her tone, "How? There are so many of you…surely the humans would notice…"

Carlisle smiled patiently, "Bella, we are very different from others of our kind. Perhaps you have noticed the color of our eyes?"

Bella turned again to look into my eyes once again before returning her gaze to Carlisle. A single bob of her head affirmed that she had noticed.

"In our family we choose to sustain ourselves on the blood of animals rather than that of humans. It is because of this lifestyle choice that we are able to live in a single location for a number of years without detection. We even interact with the humans in our daily lives, some of us going to school and others going to work."

As he spoke Carlisle had taken a few more steps towards Bella, "So you see, maintaining a low profile is key. Our primary interest in wishing to speak with you is for self-serving reasons. We need to determine if you have done anything in the area that might…attract attention?"

Bella was staring at Carlisle with a blank face; I watched as she blinked once…twice. Never in my entire existence had I desired to know what someone was thinking, and yet her mental silence persisted. It was utterly frustrating. _Perhaps she is trying to determine what our reactions might be_, I considered. I saw her gaze shift briefly to Rosalie and Emmett before she responded.

"I suppose that would depend upon your definition of nearby. My last meal…" she paused briefly presumably to gauge our reaction to this statement, "…was nearly 3 days ago to the southeast just as I entered the peninsula. It must have been 70 or 80 miles away."

Carlisle frowned a bit, "Do you suppose that you could identify the location on a map? It could make a difference for us," Carlisle intentionally kept his tone neutral, wanting to avoid anything that might be construed as censure. Silence remained for a few moments, as Bella continued her silent reasoning before replying.

"Hoodsport…just west of Hoodsport," she said softly.

Carlisle's unvoiced query came to me, _outside of the bounds of the treaty, correct Edward?_ I confirmed with a small nod that went unnoticed by Bella.

"I believe that this is a great enough distance not to raise any suspicions about our coinciding with our arrival," Carlisle's voice resonated with satisfaction.

I watched as a wide smile formed on Alice's face. _Such confidence_, I thought shooting her a faux-reprimanding look. She managed to stick out her tongue for a hundredth of a second as Bella turned to glance at a tree branch falling nearby.

Esme seemingly floated to stand next to Carlisle, just a few feet in front of Bella, "I thank you for your honesty, Bella. We were quite anxious about having to identify a new location." Esme's sent a quick glance in Rosalie's direction, trying to explain silently to Bella the _real_ reason for Rose's attitude. _Not that she wasn't concerned about me_, I recalled, _but my well-being was definitely not the first thought to cross her mind_.

Bella's eyes seemed to search between Carlisle and Esme. I wondered if she detected their sincerity and affection, at least affection already on the part of Esme. Her response sounded sincere as well, "You are very welcome. I apologize if I disturbed your new home and caused anyone…harm." Bella glanced in the direction of Rosalie who still had her back to everyone apart from Emmett. She then caught my eye with a twitch of her mouth that was a shaky smile.

She inclined her head in the direction of the open window from which she had leapt, "I have just a few items to collect in the house, if you don't mind. Then I will be on my way. Again, I apologize for any inconvenience I have caused." With that she took a few quick steps in the direction of the house. Through Jasper I detected a hint of…_shyness? Hm, she doesn't seem to like the spotlight…she is trying to escape._

"Oh Bella," Alice's voice rang like a bell, "You don't honestly think I would let my new best friend – whether you know it or not – run away that easily. Besides you are clearly in desperate need of some wardrobe assistance." By now Alice was at Bella's side tugging at her shirt sleeve with her thumb and forefinger pinched together in an attempt to minimize her contact with the apparently offensive garment. "Yes, a trip to the mall in three days will be perfect…"

Bella gently pulled the sleeve away from Alice as an amused smile appeared on her face. "So tell me, my all-knowing friend, does this trip to the mall involve me massacring everyone on the second floor of Macy's?"

Alice leaned away from Bella and placed her hands on her hips. "There are two things that you must understand two things about our trip to the mall. First – and most important – you have excellent control over your thirst, so I know that you will not massacre anyone in the store. Second, women's clothing is – without exception – located on the first floor of every Macy's that I have ever visited," Alice's tone for the latter part was nearly reprimanding. Her thoughts confirmed this; she could scarcely believe that there was a female in existence who did not know this.

Bella opened her mouth to reply, but was promptly cut off by Alice, "And before you ask, Carlisle already intended to invite you to stay with us provided nothing untoward happened when we met. It would have started with something along the lines of 'the other reason we wanted to speak with you, etcetera, etcetera.' We have visitors with us from time to time, so – don't worry – it will not inconvenience us in the slightest."

Rosalie had again turned around and shifted her death glare to Alice rather than Bella. Still she elected to maintain her silence, planning to thoroughly inspect the garage and house for any damage inflicted by 'the savage'. Next to her Emmett was trying to decide what to wager in the inevitable 'massacre-at-the-mall' bet he would have with Jasper.

Carlisle raised an eyebrow as he listened to Alice before catching Bella's eye, "Alice has beat me to the punch it seems. What she said is true. You may remain with us if that is your wish. However, I must ask that any hunting takes place off of the peninsula for the reasons we discussed before."

I saw Alice frown at Carlisle. She had already explained to everyone that Bella would try our 'vegetarian' lifestyle, so naturally this request was unnecessary in her mind. _Typical Carlisle,_ I thought, _setting ground rules just in case._

"Of course…" Bella nodded to Carlisle. She looked down to the ground as she appeared to deliberate. Again, another jolt of frustration passed through me. _Just one thought…just give me one thought…_ I concentrated on her, trying to focus my gift somehow. Never having had the need to focus before meant that I could not be sure if I was making any progress.

Abruptly, Bella's eyes shot up from the ground as her hand briefly rubbed her forehead just above the right eyebrow. She glanced first to the forest behind us and then her gaze circled around to each of us. With a shake of her head she finally said, "Sorry, I thought I felt – I mean – heard…something."

My brow creased as I considered this reaction, _was it due to my focused reading attempt?_ It was impossible to know for certain.

She then looked first to Carlisle and Alice and said with a smile, "So do I get to keep the room I have already staked out?"

Alice's squeal of delight must have carried for half a mile, not to mention the muffled thud that resounded when she pulled Bella into a hug. Everyone watched nervously for Bella's reaction. I saw Jasper's shoulders relax a moment before Bella's laughter filled the air.

Alice took Bella's hand and began leading her in the direction of the house. "Well, I think Edward here might have something to say about that," Alice nodded in my direction adding with an intentionally loud whisper, "Rumor has it that you chose his room."

Bella averted her eyes and Jasper was again detecting embarrassment. If she could have blushed I was positive that her face would be redder than her irises.

Esme swooped in on Bella's other side, "I already have a room in mind for you, just down the hall. Come, let's see if we can't decide how best to arrange the furniture in your room while the others collect the moving truck." As they stepped through the threshold I heard Esme's silent, _welcome home, Bella._


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: Back again. So, yes, Bella is ooc with respect to the character we know and love in the books, but I felt that she would be a little bit tougher, more seasoned after a few decades to reflect. I am hoping to bring her 'out of her shell' as she interacts with the Cullens some more and becomes more 'human-like'. So that's where we are heading at least. Thanks again for the reviews!_

Bella-POV

I gazed out the window of my new room watching the moon peak out through the thin cloud cover. Behind me I heard the sounds of my new acquaintances moving and unpacking their possessions throughout the house. Esme's voice advised the others on where and how items should be placed. Her tone was mostly even, but occasionally I picked up hints of impatience when someone did not correctly place a couch or painting. There was playful bickering to be heard among the vampires below as they worked, and yet I could almost feel the love they shared for one another. Several possibilities had crossed through my mind after their claim to being a family; my favorite was that their leader, Carlisle apparently, had dubbed them as such in an attempt to keep some or all of them from leaving. But there was no way to do deny the affection that went well beyond the mere convenient camaraderie I had come to expect in a coven. _They _are_ a real family – amazing_, the thought came to me as I stared blankly at the small bend in the river visible from my room.

I was still in something of a daze about how the conversation had turned in such a way that I decided to live – however temporarily – with this _vegetarian,_ _vampire_ _family_. Thinking about the discussion itself I concluded that everything had remained reasonable and logical with Esme and Carlisle. Really the turning point had been Alice's interjections. _Alice,_ my lips twitched slightly, _prophet extraordinaire and, apparently my new best friend_. Her enthusiasm and confidence that I would stay had been curious, but it alone wasn't enough to sway me. Following much consideration, I decided that it had to do with their arrival at the house just as I was thinking of my human family. After all of these years I still missed my parents. Sometimes my uncanny memory for my human life seemed like a curse simply because their faces never faded the way they did for other vampires. And then to meet these vampires living as a family – it had struck me to the core. I suddenly found myself longing for such a thing; Alice merely confirmed that I would be accepted by them if I decided to remain. Given my welcome so far that appeared to be the case…to a point…

Esme, true to her word, gave me a room almost next to my original room, Edward's room. There was just a bathroom between the two bedrooms. Alice assisted Esme in moving the furniture to the proper locations, including a queen-sized bed. Esme, noticing the question in my eyes, explained that its presence was to 'keep up appearances.' I thought I heard a small giggle from Alice after Esme's explanation, but whatever noise she made was quickly overshadowed by her surprised and disgusted gasp upon looking over my meager collection of clothing.

Jasper, who had been leaning against the doorframe trying – but failing – to look casual, was instantly between Alice and me. His scarred features were even more intimidating close up; in fact, I felt myself cringing away from him as fear suddenly washed over me. I found myself wishing for my protector, Edward, to fend off his other brother this time. Alice took in my face and informed me that I should be afraid, just not of Jasper. According to her it was my wardrobe that should leave me quaking in fear. Jasper, realizing that there was no threat to Alice, had returned to his former stance against the doorframe, and I instantly felt my anxiety melt away.

By this point, Esme had completed the room's finishing touches, including a Moroccan inspired bedspread with vivid reds, oranges and purples and a massive oil painting depicting an equally vibrant sunset. The painting went beautifully with the bedspread and several other accent pieces in the room. I informed Esme, truthfully, that it was the most magnificent room I had ever stayed in. From her gracious thank you, I could tell that she was happy not only for the compliment but also because she could see that I really loved the room.

When we heard the moving truck pulling up to the house I had offered to help with the unloading. Esme, after a brief glance in Jasper's direction, informed me that my assistance was not necessary and that I should just relax…in my room. I nodded my understanding first to Esme then to Jasper. I could tell that the first part of the sentiment about relaxing was from Esme but that the latter part seemed to be instructions from Jasper. With that Alice informed me that they would be finished in exactly 54 minutes before skipping out of the room with the others.

A different noise behind me interrupted my musings; it was a sound I had not heard in at least two decades. The distinct sound of a needle coming into contact with a record was shocking enough, but the notes began exactly where I had left off just a short while ago. The soft melody of Clair de Lune floated toward me and I was drawn to the doorway. It was definitely coming from my old room, the one in which I had heard Edward unpacking for the last few minutes. Glancing in the direction of the stairs that led to where I thought Jasper might be, I gently bit my lower lip – a nervous habit retained from my human days – as I considered my options. Obviously the 54 minutes were not up and Jasper might be cross with me for leaving my room, but Edward had clearly started this particular record at precisely that location knowing that I was nearby. _Does he want me to drop by then?_ I thought. Ultimately, since the room was so close and it meant another chance to see him. It was more than enough reason for me to silently make my way to his doorway.

The first thing that I noticed was that the shelving that had seemed to have such inconvenient heights and depths was perfect for the vast collection of CDs, tapes and records that nearly filled the space. Besides unwrapping and angling the furniture differently, the rest of the room looked much the same. His delicious scent reached me just before my eyes took in his figure. He had his back to me and was resting his head on his arm while leaning against the window frame. He gazed down in the approximate direction of our first acquaintance with each other. I smiled, remembering something my father had told me.

"I have heard that first impressions are the most lasting ones," I paused as he stiffened slightly but did not turn, "I cannot image what sort of impression a concussion-force impact must have imparted, but I hope you will let me redeem myself."

He turned with a chuckle and graced me with a crooked smile that nearly took my breath away. "No need to worry then because, you see, my first impressions of you came by way of Alice," he replied and his smile seemed to grow.

My curiosity was piqued and I had to ask, "And just what did she tell you about me?"

"Well," he paused and seemed to size me up, "Her first visions were of you breaking into the house, adopting my room and _borrowing_ my car."

I was instantly mortified. Had I been human I was certain that my entire face and chest would be beet red. As it was I could only stand there as the shock and embarrassment registered on my features. "I…I'm sorry…" I stuttered as I turned to leave. Of course he would be upset; I should have realized that Alice had seen everything.

A quick rustling sound approached me and his hand grazed mine as I turned. A jolt of electricity ran up my arm, which I reflexively pulled away and started rubbing.

"Bella," he said as I turned again to face him taking in the sweet, lilac scent that seemed to permeate the air around him at this distance. "Please forgive me. Since those first visions Alice has seen so many others of you – you with us specifically – that her first visions have little bearing on how I – how we feel about you."

His eyes were intense as they met mine, molten gold. I nodded and looked away. Motioning in the direction of the record player, I changed the topic, "Clair de Lune…it's one of my favorites."

"Me too," his voice said softly, "I thought it might be nice to finish the song we so rudely interrupted."

I smiled and glanced up to find him still looking at me intently, "Thank you." I turned my attention back to the wall of music. "You have so much music. It must be nice to have a permanent place to accumulate it."

"It is and it helps that Esme is very attentive to each of our interests when she designs our new rooms," he replied before adding with amusement, "Wait until you see the walk-in closet for Alice…speaking of…"

In a flash Alice was at my side. "Hi Bella! They are just attending to a few finishing touches downstairs before you get a full tour of the house…by Esme of course," Alice paused and Esme's 'thank you' drifted up to us. A brilliant smile then lit up Alice's face, "In the mean time, however, you _should_ see my closet. Esme outdid herself this time!"

After an extensive tour of Alice's walk-in closet, including details on the motorized hanger system and a lesson on the complicated cut-color-style organization scheme, Esme took me around to each room in the house. In the main living space the furniture and overall feel was very light with a few dark woods mixed in to offer some contrast. I found the atmosphere to be very soothing.

Along the way Esme also pointed to several pieces of décor of particular significance. A bear-skin rug made from the animal that almost killed Emmett, a vase from Esme's human past, a collection of veils from each of Rosalie's weddings, etc. Then as we arrived at the last room on the tour I saw a massive, hand-made cross outside of Carlisle's office. I raised an eyebrow at it questioningly and Edward, who joined me as I entered the office, whispered that he would explain another time. Carlisle was already in the room waiting for us.

Turning to Esme I said sincerely, "Your home was lovely before and now it is breathtaking."

"Thank you, Bella," she paused before continuing, "I'm happy that you feel that way. I do hope that consider it _your_ home too as long as you are with us."

I smiled and nodded in reply

"Bella," Carlisle's interjected glancing at Edward, "We had a family discussion and have decided to tell you a little more about our…unique situation in this particular location. You see, when I asked about the location of your last hunt it was important not only for us to know if you might have aroused the humans' suspicions but also because we have established a treaty with…some of the inhabitants."

I was all but astonished, "They…they _know_ about you?!" A thousand thoughts entered my mind at once, ranging from an angry mob with pitch forks and torches to the law enforcers of our kind, the Volturi, descending on them.

"Yes and no," Edward's voice replied, "It's a…complicated situation for those who know." Edward nodded to Carlisle to continue.

"This is the second time we have lived in this area. During our first stay here we encountered something unexpected, wolves, massive wolves," he paused again glancing at Edward, almost as though he was trying to communicate something to him wordlessly. "We were shocked to see them, to say the least, but before either side could attack we…determined that they were not what they appeared to be. Instead of finding ourselves confronting our ancient enemy, the werewolf, we found human changelings who had evolved naturally as such. They were men from a tribe native to the peninsula who claimed that it was their job to protect humans against our kind, the 'cold ones' as they called us. We explained our hunting practices to them. They had never imagined meeting vampires who do not feed on humans, so there was much to consider. Eventually they agreed to set up a treaty with us. As long as we do not bite any humans in their ancestral lands, they agreed to leave us to hunt in the boundaries drawn by the treaty. We are also not allowed to enter their sacred land along the coast. And so we – on both sides – have mutual interests in keeping our existence secret from the humans."

Of course I had heard stories about the ancient struggle between vampires and children of the moon. But I had listened to such stories as I might have listened to ghost stories in my human life. The stories spoke of epic battles between our kind and the werewolves, battles in which equal numbers of either side were destroyed.

"So, these…wolves, are they capable of destroying us?" I asked curiously.

"Their legends spoke of ancestors fighting and destroying our kind, but these descendants had never encountered vampires before us," came Carlisle's reply once again glancing at Edward.

I noticed that Edward's eyes remained on me. That's when it happened again. It felt like a pressure manifesting itself right between my eyes, right where Edward's gaze was focused.

A gasp escaped me and I felt the pressure vanish instantly. "You!" I said, taking a step back from him defensively, "Why are you attacking me?!" My hand gestured toward my forehead to convey my meaning.

Edward winced and proceeded to look…remorseful. "I'm sorry…I…I've never met someone…so silent, so unreachable. I did not mean to _attack_ you."

The sound of my voice must have attracted the others, who all gathered at the entrance to the study. A grim-looking Jasper entered staring at me intently along with an…_excited?..._looking Emmett. Rosalie remained outside of the room looking bored as she stared down the hallway. Alice stood with her arms folded shaking her head…_at Edward?_

"Edward, please explain to her," Carlisle's voice seemed to remind Edward that I was still in the dark as to what he meant.

Edward continued, nervously eying the rest of the family, "I have a gift, an ability to read minds. I can hear the thoughts of everyone in this room apart from you. I was curious about this…I never intended to harm you…"

I felt myself rapidly calming and accepting his explanation. My anxiety was simply gone. _It was too fast_, I thought, _Too fast for my usual emotional processing at least._

I glanced at Edward, figuring he felt remorseful enough to tell the truth, "Any other gifts in the family I should know about?"

His eyes flickered to Jasper for an instant, but it was enough. Edward sighed, knowing that I had followed his gaze, "Jasper can sense and manipulate emotions."

My head swiveled in Jasper's direction as I raised an eyebrow. A ghost of a smile appeared on his face and he lifted an imaginary hat off of his head and bowed, "My apologies, ma'am."

Looking at the anxious faces around me, I suddenly felt a little silly and definitely ready to lose all of the attention, "My apologies too, for overreacting. I had a…difficult…experience with the last person who tried to reach my mind." I broke off here and nearly shuddered. I didn't really feel up to discussing _that_ particular story.

There were a few curious looks sent my way. Even Rosalie appeared slightly interested, as she looked up from a thorough inspection of her nails. But they respected my silence on the subject and offered no additional questions.

I cleared my throat, "Where were we before? The boundaries of the treaty?"

"We will show you on a map and how to identify the boundaries outdoors. In fact, I needed to do this with Alice and Jasper, who have joined us since our last stay in the area. Will tomorrow morning suffice?" Carlisle implored the three of us.

"It's perfect!" Alice's enthusiasm erupted from tiny frame, "Besides we have big plans tonight." She danced over to me and took my hand tugging me from the room. "Come on, Bella! I saw us giving each other pedicures, and from the looks of your toes they really need some tender loving care. You too, Esme!"

I glanced behind me, slightly alarmed. I had rarely painted my toenails as a human, let alone in my current existence. Edward was shaking his head and laughing softly. _How dare he laugh at me!_ The thought coursed through my mind suddenly, even as I noticed the way his perfect lips curled slightly and his eyes twinkled. My last thought as Alice managed to drag me from the room lingered throughout the torturous primping session. _If Alice doesn't drive me mad, then Edward surely will!_


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Sorry guys…uh, life happens… __ I hope that you can forgive my inattentiveness. To make it up to you I've added a little Valentine's Day bit. Enjoy!_

Edward-POV

Three days had passed since our return to Forks and the introduction of Bella to our lives. Over the course of this time she had unceasing curiosity for each of our histories, both human and vampire. Apparently, the diversity of our backgrounds interested her. She had seemed particularly surprised when she learned that Alice and Jasper had 'converted' to our vegetarian ways. However, there was no hint, no whisper as to what she _really_ thought. It continued to frustrate me to no end that her mind was silent even as surprise so clearly registered on her face.

As to her own story she had readily given us a summary of her human life and a few hints as to her vampire past. A smile interrupted my thoughts, _it's usually the other way around..._ Most vampires' histories included detailed descriptions of their travels and conquests as an immortal and just a few words on their human life, if they remembered anything at all. Even more striking was the fact that she passed on explaining how she was changed and by whom. Emmett's good natured question of 'So who bit you?' had fallen flat beyond his and my imagination. After a painful expression crossed her face Bella politely declined to discuss it.

She was still a puzzle to me, which was still something I was getting used to. People had ceased to be mysteries to me after being assaulted for so many years by their trivial, unoriginal thoughts. But Bella, even as I tried to guess how she would respond to a particular situation, continued to surprise me. After learning about her travels with her distracted, free-spirited mother I assumed that she would not enjoy music from the era, but my slight to music from the late 60's and early 70's set off a heated debate about the merits and weaknesses of folksingers during that time. I was triumphant when I brought up Peter, Paul and Mary, but conceded defeat when she countered with Janice Joplin. In the end she suggested that we agree to disagree on that particular era. _At least we will always have Debussy…_ the thought whispered through my mind as I remembered my current activity.

Alice had whisked Bella and Esme to the mall for a Bella-centric shopping expedition under the guise of 'back-to-school shopping' for herself. I smiled, picturing the horror on Bella's face at realizing the scale of the shopping trip Alice had in mind; I nearly shuddered remembering the amount of mental planning she had done in advance of the trip. Even though I realized that the trip would be disagreeable to Bella, I was secretly glad to have some time to polish the composition still developing in my head.

I glanced down at the keys before me, remembering that Bella herself had been the last one to touch them. With reverence I grazed my fingers over the tops of the keys before starting to play. The melody in essence remained as it had been in the car on the way from Alaska, but the harmony had become more complex. It ran below the melody sometimes in parallel and sometimes in counterpoint. The overall tone was generally sweet but there remained an elusive, mysterious quality to the song. Its ending still evaded me even though the beginning and middle were well-developed enough.

I returned to beginning to try a few embellishments. As I did so Esme's thoughts preceded her entry through the front door. She was positively ecstatic. _Oh, Edward is composing again! It's been so long…it must be 10 years at least…such a lovely piece._ She came to the front of the piano and leaned on it slightly. _She __is__ good for him._ My hands froze and my eyes drifted up to meet hers.

"Am I wrong?" Esme fairly dared me to disagree with her last thought.

I felt a small smile cross my face and closed my eyes. With that I started playing her favorite piece.

I heard a sigh escape her as she thanked me for the song as always. As she slipped upstairs her last thought lingered. _I certainly do not need to be a mind reader to know that I am correct._

As I finished Esme's song I modulated to the middle of the new piece trying a key change. The ending continued to elude me; it was so unlike past compositions. They had always come together with relative ease. I realized that the nature of the song remained incomplete in parallel with my knowledge of Bella herself. I could hardly deny that Esme's intuition was wrong. It seemed that at one moment I was puzzling the song and the next trying to analyze something about Bella.

She had left us with several mysteries to ponder, from her reluctance to discuss her transformation to the other vampire who tried to 'touch her mind' to what she wanted in the future. There had been a moment as we explained our 'vegetarian' lifestyle to her that a look of wonder had crossed her face. Jasper's read on her emotions in that moment was clear, a touch of envy followed quickly by a flood of hope. No words had escaped her mouth, but in that instant Alice saw her stay for some time, at least a matter of months. Yet another mystery was her ability to block me from reading her mind and, nearly as surprising, her ability to remember her human past like no other vampire I had ever encountered. It was mostly by way of Carlisle's memories that I was even able to recall how my parents looked.

Esme's thoughts reached me again. She was considering rearranging Bella's room slightly. _Maybe if I move the vase from this desk we can put a loveseat in here…only room for two…hm, or perhaps if I put the loveseat in his room they can enjoy his music collection together…_

I broke away from her thoughts, groaning mentally. Sometimes it was tougher not having other family members' thoughts floating around as a potential distraction. Rosalie and Emmett had taken the opportunity to go hunting for late-season bear; Emmett was, of course, 'beyond pumped' for it. Jasper was obtaining the family's new identification from a local Seattle low-life of some sort. Carlisle was at the hospital signing paperwork for his new position. Everyone should be returning at least by morning for our exciting big day.

Tomorrow Esme would be escorting us 'kids' to register for Forks High School. Rose, Jasper and Emmett would be sophomores while Alice and I would be freshmen. None of us were particularly excited about another round of high school, but at least starting this young meant that we could stay in one place for a bit longer. Emmett had brought up the idea of enrolling Bella as well, but both she and Alice were convinced that it was not a good idea. Alice's vision of Bella's first gym class was pure carnage as one of the students experienced the most costly nose-bleed of his life. Bella did not rule out joining us later as a possibility, but she wanted to be sure of her control. And I guessed that she also wanted to be sure about staying with us. _Stay, please, stay,_ the thought came to me unbidden.

I had been afraid that Bella would leave when she found out that most of us would be away at school and work, but Alice's vision of her staying with us was unwavering. It seemed that the decision to stay was intimately linked to our lifestyle. I wondered if, like Jasper and Alice, she wanted to turn away from our traditional feeding method permanently. In the past both our family and the Denalis had met other vampires who tried their hand at vegetarianism only to return quickly to the usual way after a 'slip up' or an intentional kill. Somehow I hoped that Bella would have the strength and conviction to remain with us and stick to the diet.

_Edward, we're nearly home, _Alice's mental voice was as clear as though she was whispering in my ear, _and we are going to need your help with the bags…_ A mental flash showed that the entire trunk and backseat were filled with bags. _Maybe Esme too_, she added after a pause.

"Esme, she's done it again," my normal tone easily carried to her sensitive ears.

"How bad?" came Esme's weary reply.

"A little worse than normal," I admitted, "Nothing like Milan 1999…more along the lines of New York 1972."

The 'Milan incident', as Jasper had dubbed it, was now the measure for any shopping trip by Alice. In total there were five full-sized suitcases for each family member and an additional massive package air-shipped to us. Alice continued to defend the shopping trip that year being thanks to an exceptionally gifted collection of Italian designers. New York 1972 was considerably further down the totem pole in terms of scale, but when I considered that the majority of the clothing in the car was for Bella it put a whole new spin on the trip. Poor Jasper was nearly traumatized during his first real shopping excursion with Alice. _I wonder how Bella faired…_

The purr of Alice's car grew louder until I heard the clutch being engaged as she rapidly decelerated to a final stop directly in front of the house. Esme was at the front door already as I stood from the piano and quickly joined her. As she opened the door my eyes sought out the passenger door directly in front of us. Bella was just emerging from the car. Her face was turned away from us and was instead taking in the mountain of bags that must have completely obscured the rear window. Her head then turned to us with a look that could only be described as horrified.

I simply couldn't help it – the laughter started deep in my stomach and seemed to explode out of my body. A flash of anger seemed to cross her face.

_Edward Cullen! Do not laugh at the poor girl. She seems ready to bolt as it is,_ Esme's thoughts reprimanded me.

I cut off the laughter but failed to completely remove the smile from my face. "I apologize, Bella. It's just that I have seen your same expression on every member of my family after one or another shopping trip with Alice," I explained.

Her expression softened with this understanding. The death glare I received from Alice over Bella's shoulder was another matter.

Esme approached Bella and placed an arm around her shoulder asking about the shopping trip. Bella began to describe the items that were purchased to Esme when I _heard_ Alice.

_Thanks, brother dear._ I could tell from her mental tone that she was basically sulking as she opened the trunk. I walked around and murmured an apology. Her reply was to stick out her tongue and fill my arms with bags. _Up to Bella's room, bellboy - better yet, 'Bellaboy'! Ooh, I like that…it works on __so__ many levels! And don't you dare bring up Milan unless you want for me to call you Bellaboy aloud. _

It was times like this when I questioned whether or not Alice could read minds as well. I glanced towards Bella and saw that she was still conversing with Esme. She looked almost drained, slightly tense…but still beautiful. Alice followed my eyes and again picked up on my line of thought.

_She was really well-behaved, but I think it was difficult for her by our 4__th__ trip from taking bags to the car._

I gave her a sidelong glance.

_What? It could have been much worse. Keep in mind that she has absolutely __no__ essentials. _

I nodded in acknowledgement.

_We were in Burberry when a man bumped into her on accident. Her eyes were nearly black and for a moment she must have been undecided on how to proceed. She started to enter a hunting crouch, but abruptly stopped when the man's teenage daughter approached him. Good thing he had a kid; as soon as she saw the girl she whirled away from him. I decided it was time to head home after that._

Bella and Esme had already taken a load of bags upstairs, so I spoke softly to Alice, "Maybe it is time to go hunting?"

Alice smiled, "Perfect idea. I think you should show her the ropes while Esme and I get her closet in order."

It was impossible for me not to return her smile, "We'll see what she has to say."

Alice's eyes abruptly lost their focus as another vision came to her. It was a rare cloudless day and I saw Bella standing in a field of flowers. Her skin shimmered in the bright light. She turned and gazed to the east. I watched myself emerge from the edge of the forest.

Her face lit up and she ran to him holding her arms open. He picked her up and whirled her around with a look of pure…joy!

Her eyes were golden and filled with an emotion I had seen so many times before but never directed towards me. I was hesitant to label it even though I knew what it was.

I watched as my doppelganger lowered her to the ground and captured her lips. One of her hands wound its way into his hair pulling him even closer. I can hardly describe the emotions that coursed through me as I observed this potential future. Before the image faded she pulled away minutely and I heard her whisper, "Happy Valentine's Day, Edward."

Suddenly I returned to the here and now. Alice was already dancing around the car as I stood frozen in place. _Less than 6 months away at the latest! Another sister! I cannot wait to tell Esme!_

I gave her a look that stopped her dance.

After a sigh and her signature pout, she relented, _Okay, I can wait to tell her, but not for long!_

Bella and Esme had just returned from their first trip upstairs. Alice resumed her dance to Bella's side. "Bella, Edward was just saying that he would like to go hunting this evening. Would you like to go with him?"

Her eyes met mine somewhat uncertainly. They were still red but had darkened noticeably even since this morning.

Esme, picking up on Alice's scheme, added, "Alice and I will put everything away. Besides I need to speak with Alice about some school-related logistics."

Leave it to Esme to be truthful even as she schemed. She had intended to speak with Alice about Jasper's school schedule. They would try to make sure that he had a family member in each class. He struggled more than anyone else in the family with our lifestyle - hardly surprising considering his past. I briefly wondered if Bella would have similar problems.

Her eyes moved from Esme to me again. "Sure, if that is alright with you, Edward?" she asked softly.

"It would be my pleasure," I said.

"Edward, just leave the bags in the trunk, so you can be on your way," Alice suggested.

I complied and gestured for Bella to precede me around the house. We stopped near what I now thought of as 'our tree' outside of my bedroom window.

"Edward, I have to admit that I am a little skeptical about this vegetarian thing, but I promise to give it a try," she said sounding more than a little uncertain.

"It will take some getting used to," I conceded, "It definitely isn't something that one becomes accustomed to overnight."

We slipped into a brief silence and I watched as her gaze slipped to the river running behind the house. Her gaze returned to me and a sly smile crossed her face.

"Alice tells me that you are the fastest in the family…" I heard the challenge in her voice, "Care to show me?"

I gestured down the river, "How about a race to the bend in the river?"

"Deal!" she said enthusiastically, "On the count of three. One…two…three!"

We were off like a shot toward what future I knew not.

***

A/N: See chapter 7 for Alice's vision about the race.


	13. Chapter 13

Bella-POV

_One week…one whole week in a single location…_ I thought. It had been at least a decade since the last such occasion had occurred. Overall it was a welcome experience to have a home - temporary though it may be - and far from 'confined' as I feared it would be. The Cullens - with one exception - were very welcoming. If anything I could only complain that Alice and Esme, to a lesser extent, were a little over-exuberant in their attention.

The fateful trip to the mall just a few days ago had been…something. Even in my human days I was never particularly fond of shopping. Worse still, my opinion carried weight on only five articles of essential clothing which Alice quickly labeled as unsophisticated, peasant garb. Apparently, little, formfitting, silk dresses that better resemble slips were far more mode. Even worse thanks to her gift, Alice thwarted plans I made no less than ten times to 'accidentally' lose an item or three that I was carrying. I was to do as she said or she threatened to dress me every day instead of every other day as was the current plan. So, naturally, with that kind of threat hanging over my head I was an obedient 'Barbie Bella'. Had it not been for a man who had a brush with death simply by bumping into me, Alice might have kept me in the mall for another few hours. 'Luckily', my change in appetite convinced her that it was time to leave.

Emmett later confided in me that he once bet Jasper that he could get out of a shopping trip by pretending to stalk a human. Unfortunately for him the fake hunt turned into the real thing. It was months before Alice forgave him for making the family leave Minneapolis, home of the largest mall in the US. Emmett was turning out to be the big brother I'd never had. His antics livened up the house and counteracted - to a point - the death glares continually sent my way by his mate, Rosalie. I have had to learn the hard way the important Cullen family less of 'just don't piss her off' and 'if you've already pissed her off, then just ignore her.' Jasper reassured me that despite appearances her loathing of me had decreased marginally.

Jasper himself had proven to be extremely interesting and quite supportive of my decision to at least try vegetarianism. In all honesty I was completely amazed that he was able to control his thirst after such a violent upbringing. Once I was able to look at his scarred visage without cringing I began to see him as something of an inspiration. I liked to think that my ability to relax around him had more to do with getting to know him better versus his ability to make me feel at ease. I couldn't help but be slightly jealous of his talent. _Wouldn't it be nice to know what people are feeling around you?_ I mused.

My eyes slowly focused on the object I had been staring at for the last few minutes. The piano… It was childish really. I had spent the greater part of the evening thinking about the Cullen family minus one. I couldn't come up with a logical reason for doing so except to say that it was entirely unintentional. But, then again, that wasn't really true. It always seemed that whatever I thought of _him_ I could think of nothing else. It felt like I had a good handle on who the rest of the Cullens are and what makes them tick, but a read on the bronze-haired Adonis himself continued to elude me. I smiled as I realized that he was probably even more frustrated at his inability to _read_ me.

It wasn't like I had spent any less time with _him_ compared to the others; he was just so much more mysterious. Just yesterday we were having a conversation about places we had lived. We found that we had lived in many of the same locations at various times. We even appeared to have narrowly missed one another outside of Toronto about 15 years ago. Our conversation was spirited and fluid until I asked about his favorite location. Something flashed through his eyes and I guessed that he was going to say Chicago, his home before this existence. But he surprised me. 'Here' he had said, 'Forks is my new favorite.' When I asked why he only shrugged and looked away.

There was another question that continued to elude - a seemingly simple introspective question. _What exactly do I want from him?_ I shook my head at the confusion perpetually running through me; my emotions were a veritable tornado inside me. A sigh escaped my lips. It took nearly 30 years but I finally realized that I was acting my age…a teenager in emotional upheaval.

Logically then, I should at least be beyond the childish habit I had developed of refusing to even think_ his_ name…

"Edward," I barely registered that I had spoken aloud.

"Yes?"

Edward's reply caught me off-guard as my head turned to see him at the top of the stairs.

He smiled at whatever expression appeared on my face - surprise, anticipation - I couldn't be sure. An eyebrow rose at my silence.

He nodded in the direction of the piano. "Are you looking for an audience?" I detected amusement in his voice as started walking down the stairs.

I blinked twice to break myself from whatever spell he seemed to cast over me. "I - well - yes," I heard myself saying to my own surprise.

He languidly stretched out on the couch facing the piano, his arms crossed behind his head. I watched him for a moment or two before settling behind the instrument.

I really hadn't prepared anything for the occasion, so I glanced up at him again looking for some inspiration. His eyes were closed or - more likely - slightly cracked and watching me. His lips twitched and one arm lifted above his head. The arm circled leisurely over his head twice in what was unmistakably a nonverbal, 'come on, get on with it.'

_Is he trying to provoke me?!_ The indignation and amusement swelled within me. As his arm fell below his head again, I knew exactly what my song choice ought to be.

As I began the melody was innocent enough. I added enough flourishes and embellishments initially to obscure the song until it was too late. A frown slowly crept onto his face as he began to guess the song choice and it was firmly in place by the time the refrain sounded. Anyone who had lived through the era would know this song whether they wanted to or not. It just happened to be my mother's favorite.

The frown remained firmly planted on his face and turned to a slight pout. I beamed at him.

By the time 'We all Live in a Yellow Submarine' was finished he had crossed the gap to the piano and seemed to be wordlessly asking me to move aside.

A giggle escaped me as I took in his slightly pained expression, "Have I defiled your instrument with that rubbish?"

His face cracked and a smile returned, "I suppose I deserved that. As for defiling the piano…it's nothing that a decent, proper song cannot fix."

I shifted to one side of the bench and patted the vacated spot. His smile increased as he took his place next to me.

He began playing a song that I easily recognized as another Debussy piece, _Petite Suite_. Of course he chose a piece I am unfamiliar with. "Sorry, I don't know how to play this one," I informed him.

"I haven't played this in some time. Rosalie will occasionally play this piece with me," and leaning a little closer he whispered, "When I've done nothing to offend her."

His sweet breath stunned me for a few moments. "Maybe you can show me how to play it then. I doubt she will be speaking to you any time soon if you continue to associate yourself with me."

With his agreement he began to teach me the song. In the better part of 2 hours I had the piece memorized and perfected. As the song came to an end, I felt a great swell of emotion.

"Thank you. I haven't played a duet…in a long time," I glanced up to him. From his expression I could tell that he understood what I meant.

He began to play another piece softly…it was one I had never heard before. As I opened my mouth to ask about it, he interrupted me.

"So are you sure you don't want to come to school with us tomorrow? It's great fun every time," his tone was flat.

"With that shining recommendation, how could I possibly say no?" I joked before adding, "I think that it will be more fun for your family having a crazy sister who is kept locked in the basement. It should add a new dimension to the gossip in this town."

"Yes, that will be something new I suppose," he sounded thoughtful.

My cover-story was a mysterious medical condition that leaves me home-schooled until I am 'well enough' to join my siblings.

"Tomorrow it will be the same old, same old I think," he continued after a brief pause, "The humans will be distracted by our novelty. They will be torn between attraction and fear."

"And you are the family's watchful eye, looking for any extra suspicious humans, right?" I guessed.

He nodded. "I get to direct everyone on how to discourage the attention. This can be particularly challenging with Rosalie, who is…" his voice grew softer and his lips were just short of my ear, "…anxiously awaiting her _due_ adoration."

I gasped slightly at his unexpected closeness, and turned to see him leaning back eyes closed with a grin across his face. It struck me that perhaps I wasn't the only one reverting back my teenage human self. His expression smacked of adolescent amusement.

I began again to listen to the melody he was playing. "This is lovely," I said softly to him, "but I do not know the piece."

His eyes cracked open and the smile became softer. "I hardly know it myself; it continues to blossom before me," was the mysterious reply.

"It's yours?" the obvious question escaped my lips before I could bite my tongue.

He stopped playing and turned to face me. His hand reached out and brushed back my hair which had fallen like a wall between us. Again, I audibly caught my breath as his thumb trailed along my cheek bone.

"I'm still working out its intricacies," he said by way of affirmation.

My mind went into overdrive trying to decide if I was reading too much into this discussion. It was difficult to concentrate in the wake of his fiery hand grazing my face.

Suddenly a look of chagrin crossed his face and a frustrated sigh escaped him. His eyes looked upwards and he shook his head.

"Before Alice comes to collect you…I wanted to ask you… It's going to be sunny on Friday, so there will be the first of many 'family camping trips' to keep us out of school. There is a place that I found the last time we lived here…I haven't seen it since we returned…and I was wondering if you would come with me?" his words came out in quick, uncharacteristically choppy fashion. He sounded nervous I decided.

I stared at him for a moment trying to decipher the meaning behind his words. He is watching me expectantly and as I open my mouth a blur of motion races down the stairs before coming to a halt across the piano from us.

"Of course she'll go with you, Edward," Alice said with a roll of her eyes before mumbling, "I don't have to be a psychic to see that…"

She quickly skipped around the piano and plucked me up from my perch. "Bella, we have some critical decisions to make about everyone's outfits tomorrow and I am going to need your assistance. Oh, and before you go through with your plan to change the outfit I choose for you tomorrow and change back before I return from school, just know that I will know."

I looked back at Edward, who was giving Alice a strange expression, complete with his head cocked to one side and a single eyebrow raised.

"Now, say goodnight to Edward," Alice gently commanded.

By now I knew better than to resist Alice's interruptions and whims. So I did as she said.

"Goodnight, Edward," I said meeting his eyes again, "I'm looking forward to Friday."

"Goodnight," he answered softly. Just as I was entering Alice's room I thought I heard another whisper of words from downstairs, but it must have been my imagination. The words sounded almost like 'my Bella.'

*****

_A/N: Sorry guys…uh, life happens… __ I had a lot of trouble with this chapter…mostly because I needed to work out the chapter after this one at the same time. So the good news is that the next one is outlined; the bad news is that it's a report writing fest at work this week. I may not be in the best of writing spirits in the evenings. _

_My one question at this point has to do with the amount of 'lemony-ness' we would like to see. I am open to your thoughts on this. And thanks to everyone who has reviewed and to you non-reviewing readers too. I hope you are enjoying this._


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Sorry about the delay in posting guys. I hope that you can forgive my inattentiveness. It's a short chapter, but it's functional in putting us right on track for the meadow. _

_I should probably remind everyone that I am in fact not SM incognito and I do not take credit or cash for this story. This is purely for your amusement, dear readers. _

Edward-POV

In my vast experience as a 'professional' high school student I could not recall a school day dragging as much as this day. It was Thursday, last period Geometry…the last day before my long weekend…before my day with Bella. I normally considered school a purgatory of sorts, but today if felt decidedly like hell. A glance to my left revealed a very smug-looking Alice, who was studiously reciting the number pi in her mind. She was nearing the 4674th digit when the bell finally – blessedly – rang. My mood instantly lifted as Alice and I silently – save her continued mental computation – made our way to my car.

_Maybe if I distract her she'll slip up and let me see…_ I considered. Alice threw a dark look in my direction as my distraction plan developed and continued her recitation.

"Trust me, it's good for you to be unprepared, surprised like everyone else once in a while, brother. Somehow the rest of us manage without your usual insights," she nearly sang, conveniently forgetting her own advantage as she tallied herself in the 'everyone else' category. I sent her a sour expression.

A brief flash of the family hunting together escaped her 'mental wall'. "By the way, the rest of us are heading up to Canada to catch some premium prey," here she paused for dramatic effect. "We'll be back on Sunday…late." Her teeth flashed in a faux-innocent smile and skipped around the front of the car. She was almost up to the 5833rd digit of pi.

The others soon slipped into the car, at which point Alice informed them of the family's weekend plans – minus two. You could have heard a pin drop in the car, but the windstorm of unspoken speculation and furtive glances sent my way was nearly overwhelming. Jasper bore the brunt of the emotional tidal wave; if he were human I'd wager he would have turned green. In the end – and not surprisingly in the least – it was Emmett who was unable to muster any sort of filter for his thoughts_._

"Soooo, Eddie…" I interrupted him with a glare. He knew better than to use nicknames for me. He held up his hands in mock surrender. "Edward, Edward, right…"_ Get a grip, man! "_Are you looking to forward to some _quality time_ this weekend? Anything _special_ planned_?" _Emmett's tone was laced with implications and his thoughts were not even close to being subtle.

I continued to stare straight ahead and maintained a stony silence, so, naturally, he felt inclined to continue.

"'Cause, you know…you can always ask – you know – if you need a few pointers…" Emmett was clearly feigning wholesome embarrassment…obviously anticipating my response.

Next to him Jasper tensed and awaited my reply just as eagerly as Emmett; clearly a bet of some sort was in play here. Then, as I considered how to reply, Emmett's mind began to wander to some of his and Rose's favorite extracurricular activities during their 'alone time'. _Just trying to be helpful after all_, came his thought as he fished for a response.

I promptly slammed on the brake, effectively launching Emmett into the back of Alice's seat. She was already leaning forward to avoid the impact, of course. Under her breath I distinctly made out the exasperated words 'idiot' and 'seatbelt'.

"Out!" I shouted at Emmett. Jasper's smug thoughts clearly indicated that he was the winner. "You too, for inspiring him to _share_," I said pointedly to Jasper.

My two brothers exited the car and bolted into the woods. Emmett was shaking his head as he handed over several bills to Jasper just before they disappeared.

"Honestly, Edward, you _would_ be much less cranky if you got laid," Rose said without turning her head from the woods. Had it been anyone besides Rosalie I would have thought this to be a jab, but with her it was simply a blunt statement of fact. So I let it pass without giving her the boot. The rest of the ride was uneventful, mostly because my sisters wanted to avoid dirtying their clothes in the woods as well. It wasn't until later that evening that Rosalie had won back her husband's money by getting away with that statement. _Deception, thine name is Rosalie_.

That night I scarcely saw Bella. Alice commandeered her when we arrived home from school, insisting that they have a 'real slumber party' – complete with makeovers. By the time the family left for Canada at nearly 3 am, I was so anxious to see Bella that I was trying to invent reasons to enter the room and whisk her away. Jasper's intense looks and baffled thoughts confirmed that this was new emotional terrain for me. His last fleeting thought as the left lingered. _At least you're on an even playing field; she's nearly as bad off as you._

Bella-POV

_I'm not hiding! _I all but screamed in my head. I instantly detected the defensiveness, the lingering taint of a falsehood. One of Victoria's survival sayings came to mind: 'Lie to everyone else but never to yourself.' A soft sigh escaped my lips. _Okay, so I'm hiding_, I finally acknowledged. As to the _why_ I was fairly certain that it had to do with a certain bronze-haired Adonis lounging elsewhere in the house, but the specific reasons related to this _why_ continued to elude me. My mind seemed eager to find distractions from examining whatever lurked in my subconscious.

During Alice's 'slumber party' – also known as Bella torture session – I almost welcomed the distraction from my introspection. Hair curling, makeup sampling, manicures and pedicures were strangely welcome. It wasn't until she dropped the bomb that she and the rest of the family were going hunting this weekend without _us _that my anxiety set in. I knew that I would be forced to focus on whatever it was that was happening to me. Alice broke the news about 10 minutes before their departure, nearly 2 hours ago. Already my eyes detected a lightening to the thin cloud-cover, a sure sign that the thin collection of water vapor would burn away as Alice had promised.

I was about to turn away from the first golden rays peaking over the horizon when a distant movement caught my eye. A bird entered my line of sight, flying low across the treetops. The winged creature's path took her to the north. I watched her steady pace for a few more moments as the sun climbed ever higher. Suddenly, another bird appeared flying from his camouflage – at least from my perspective – in front of the sun. He swooped down and circled the first bird. She responded in kind. It seemed like fighting and dancing at the same time as they looped around each other. Then with seamless grace that appeared almost choreographed, the two birds arced as one and flew on parallel courses to the south. Both had changed direction because of the other…or was it for the other…? Somehow if felt significant, this meeting….this change…

An unbidden voice entered my mind, in fact the first voice I had heard with my enhanced vampire hearing – the voice of my creator. '…and so, Isabella, we become like rock, unmoving forever frozen as we are at the moment of our transformation. Your likes, your dislikes, your personality…all are essentially fixed…' I remembered this conversation very clearly because I feared the notion that I would never grow as a person and that I would be limited to never becoming something more. I voiced this concern to him. "Let me offer you this consolation then, an observation of sorts. I have seen changes occur in our kind – vast, profound changes to those of us who are nearly as ancient as time itself. Think of it this way. I told you that we are solid like rock. The only way to alter rock is with something just as tough…just as solid… Another rock, you see? When one of our kind finds our other half changes take place that are so substantial, so complete that we become…reborn…truly incredible. You can call the one you find a kindred spirit, a companion, a mate even, but whatever you choose to call this person, Isabella, make no mistake, such a change can only be caused by love…"

In that moment everything crystallized before me as the sun fully cleared the horizon. I was resisting the change, resisting what seemed like it was mean to be. In that moment I was certain of three things. First, I now had a family after so long without one. Second, I had been a blind fool ever since meeting said family because, third, somewhere along the way – maybe even from the very first – I had fallen deeply, irrevocably in love with Edward Cullen.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: I hope you enjoy this last set up for the meadow scene. I originally wanted this chapter to include all of the meadow scene, but, alas, Bella's story is lengthy. So the bad news is that this chapter is about medium-length for me, but the good news is that the next chapter is mostly written and on the longer side. I plan to update later this week. Reviews appreciated, as always. _

_Happy and safe Memorial day to everyone states-side. _

Edward-POV

_Whoever came up with 'patience is a virtue' was clearly not madly in love at the time_, the wry thought floated through my mind as I looked up the stairs. It had been about two hours since the family departed; the sun's rays were filtering in through the wall of windows on my left. As anxious as I was to see Bella, I was determined to, once again, place my trust in Alice and follow her advice. 'Let her come to you…that's very important…yes, definitely stick with that decision…' Whatever vision she had had was quickly replaced with pi to the 1,356,218th decimal – a new record for her.

My plan for the day was simple. Take her to my meadow and confess to her how I feel, specifically that I love her. This admission – even to myself – had taken some time and a great deal of consideration. I had spent many hours attempting to rationalize my feelings, as I had done for the entirety of my bachelor existence, but no logical conclusions were forthcoming where Bella was concerned. At first I was convinced that it was fascination having to do with her mental silence – the novelty of having to ask what a person thought about this or that. But I could hardly deny that even after she answered a question ten others came to mind instantly. The depths of my desire to find out more about her were greater than anything I had ever experienced. Then I told myself that my interest lay only in the possible future I had witnessed by way of Alice, not in an actual interest for the person before me. But somehow I knew that there was more to this.

Even if I could read her mind and I had no insight into future realities, I understood that there was more. Her scent alone was divine – floral, luscious and uniquely Bella. Her face stunned me in its exquisite perfection, and the way her dark, wavy hair framed her heart-shaped face haunted me continually. Her skin seemed to glow next to the saturated blues that she seemed to favor in her wardrobe. Her shared and elusive memories, her humor and her blossoming affection for my family all made my unbeating heart swell. _Perfection_, I thought_, absolute perfection…_ Having reassurances from both Jasper and Alice that she would be receptive was helpful, but I still felt nervous, on edge even, about my planned confession. Jasper had _helpfully_ pointed out that I was finally 'acting my age' – adding mentally it was a complete, hormone-induced adolescent emotional upheaval just like all of the other juveniles at the high school. I made sure to give him a 'very mature' shove out the door as he left.

I sat behind my piano poised to play for Bella as soon as her door opened. The sun was peeking out above the treetops and, as I strained my ears, I thought I heard a soft sigh come from her room. But I couldn't be sure about that. I found myself wanting to huff and squirm; to my embarrassment I found that I was fighting the urge to..._sulk?_ Shaking my head I reminded myself that my wait was _half_ that of Carlisle's wait. After all it took over 200 years for him to find Esme; in comparison my 100 years seemed a blessing.

One observation I had made during my existence among three perfectly matched couples was how love was conveyed in different manners. Carlisle and Esme communicated most often through tender touches and a compliment here and there. Theirs was a steady, calm love, whereas Emmett and Rosalie had a fiery, passionate love. It was not unusual to hear the two lovebirds loudly, exuberantly expressing their love to one another in – really – any part of the house or woods or school. Although they were extra careful when it came to 'extra curricular activities', especially as the new kids at Forks high school. The last couple in the house was the most interesting though. Jasper and Alice rarely touched one another besides very casual touches; in fact I could only recall seeing them kiss at their various weddings. For them feelings and sentiments were conveyed through their eyes. Although Jasper could easily manipulate Alice's feelings, he seemed to avoid doing so, instead speaking to her with his eyes alone. Having my gift I knew that the message was conveyed as clearly as if he had spoken aloud. _I wonder how it might turn out…if Bella and I…_

I let the thought drift off and glanced out the window; the sun had now almost cleared the horizon completely. I noticed a few spangles reflecting from the rays of light striking my hand and realized that I had yet to see Bella in the sun. Somehow I felt certain that she will be more amazing than I could possibly imagine.

I felt a great swell of impatience and instantly resolved to begin playing in the hopes of luring Bella downstairs. Before I touched the first key I felt my cell phone vibrate in my pocket. Even without looking I knew that it was Alice texting me. Fishing the device from my pocket I took in her message, 'E, what part of w8 4 her to come to u is unclear?' Shaking my head I stretched my thumb towards the power button. Another text message quickly appeared, 'Lv ur phone on!' I watched with great satisfaction as the screen went black. A smile crossed my face as I now realized that there was no way for us to be interrupted since there was no land-line at the house and Bella had no cell phone. _Alone – truly alone now_, I thought happily before looking once again upstairs, _well perhaps a little __too__ alone at the moment…_

That's when I heard it – the sound I had been straining to hear for hours. The doorknob upstairs was turning. I closed my eyes and began to play…

Bella-POV

My hand held the doorknob for a few moments before I turned it. My wrist began to turn only after I screamed within my mind yet again, _don't be a coward!_ I could scarcely believe Edward missed the mental shriek. As the door began to open two things happened simultaneously. First, I was greeted with Edward's concentrated, sun-infused scent, which brightened the dank, stale air in my room noticeably. Second, a familiar melody from my human days reached my ears, 'Morning has Broken'. The comforting scent and sound vanished away all of my earlier reluctance. _This must mean something…he wouldn't do this for just anyone, right?_

I was down the stairs and in front of the piano in less than a second. Edward's eyes were closed and a smile blossomed on his face as he clearly sensed my presence. He swayed slightly in time with the song and I couldn't help but wonder if I was changing him as well. Just two weeks ago the he likely would have balked at the notion of playing this very song. Half of his face was glistening in the sunlight filtering in through the windows. His hair took on a fiery tone and combined with the glistening, marble skin he looked more God-like than ever. _I could stand here and watch him all day…all year…for eternity…_

I had finally decided what I wanted – him for my very own. Although my own desires were very clear now, I still needed to be certain about his feelings. Adolescent insecurities continued to plague me. _Seventeen forever, oh yeah, great…_ The sarcastic thought came to me not for the first time in this existence. As I watched him nearing the end of the song his smile grew even more. I held my breath in anticipation of him opening his eyes. The last note sounded, but he kept his eyes closed. His hands hovered over the keys.

Then his eyelids fluttered and opened halfway – a look that I immediately labeled as 'hooded' – and he watched me through his thick eyelashes. I felt a strong emotion filling me that encompassed love and passion at the same time, an emotion best described as 'want' as his eyes took me in. His eyes opened a bit wide rand he abruptly laughed out loud. Of course, I was momentarily mortified that he guessed my thoughts.

"It never gets easier with you Bella… What I wouldn't pay to know what you are thinking!" he said as he continued to laugh.

My insecurities melted away as I joined him in laughing, "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

His amused expression turned fractionally more serious and he cocked his head to the side. "So I _do_ get to find out…" he murmured, "Is that a promise?"

I blinked at the quick turn of the conversation. The light was now shining more directly on his coppery hair which looked like licks of flame sprouting from his crown. I bit my lip lightly and mentally reminded myself once again not to be a coward.

"Yes…"

"Yes, but…"

I smiled at his obvious impatience. "But not before you take me to this mystery location."

He was instantly at my side. As I took in his full appearance it was my turn to laugh. Noting that his face fell minutely, I wondered if I might not be alone in my teenage insecurities. I motioned up and down with my hand. "Alice…" After his eyes followed my gesture his laughter joined mine. Our self-appointed fashion consultant had deemed it necessary to dress us in identical outfits. We wore light wash jeans, white button-down shirts and dark blue sweater vests.

As our laughter subsided, he reached out and grasped my hand. Electricity flowed from the point of contact and I met his eyes with surprise.

"Before we stumble across another surprise from Alice, let's be on our way," his soft velvety voice drew me closer even as I felt a gentle tug in the direction of the front door. Exiting the house he led me directly into the thick woods surrounding the home before releasing my hand. I instantly felt crestfallen with the loss of contact and, for a moment, he seemed poised to reach for my hand again. Instead he moved his hand to gesture directly in front of him.

"It's in this direction. Just follow my lead," he said before adding with a roguish smirk, "I'll be sure to slow down so that you can keep up."

With that he launched himself in the direction he had indicated. Amusement and annoyance warred within me as I ran at top speed to catch up with him. His scent was positively delicious mingled with the fresh forest smells. As I watched his fantastic form from this angle – taking in some of his most tempting assets – I struggled to remember that I should be annoyed with him. As luck would have it, he chose this exact moment to remind me as much. His head turned to the side and he pantomimed an exaggerated yawn complete with his left hand patting at his mouth. The grin returned to his face as his head turned forward.

_Alright, Cullen, just because I love you doesn't mean that I can't wipe that smirk off of your face!_ I thought, already planning my next move as I took in the terrain before us. I took three extra long strides and then leapt forward landing briefly on a rocky outcrop. I used the outcrop to spring myself forward again. A quick glance behind me showed Edward's surprised expression. I simply couldn't stifle the giggle at his expression.

I saw his surprise turn into a devilish grin as he noticeably sped up and eventually overtook me. I planned my next few jumps, again moving ahead of him. We continued this way – jostling for the lead – until a mighty leap off of a felled tree landed me in a field beyond the tree-line. I paused, not hearing Edward's pursuit.

Tall grass and high, late-summer blossoms fluttered in the light wind. The cloud-cover overhead was thin and patchy causing rays of light to form temporary spotlights here and there. The flowers smelled sweet and somewhat tangy, an almost indescribable scent that I associated with autumn's approach. _This place is lovely_ I decided, _so unexpected in the middle of this dense forest._

"Do you like it?" his voice floated from the edge of the tree line.

I turned and told him truthfully, breathlessly, "Beautiful…"

He bolted forward and his hand reached out to cup my cheek. I inhaled sharply in surprise. His molten gold eyes bored into my own, "I couldn't agree more…" he said pausing as his thumb lightly traced my cheekbone sending thrills of electricity as it moved, "…oh, and the meadow is nice too, I suppose."


	16. Chapter 16

_Chapter 15 reminder_

…

"Do you like it?" his voice floated from the edge of the tree line.

I turned and told him truthfully, breathlessly, "Beautiful…"

He bolted forward and his hand reached out to cup my cheek. I inhaled sharply in surprise. His molten gold eyes bored into my own, "I couldn't agree more…" he said pausing as his thumb lightly traced my cheekbone sending thrills of electricity as it moved, "…oh, and the meadow is nice too, I suppose."

Bella-POV

I was frozen in complete awe for this amazing being who touched me so gently and looked at me so expressively. For an instant I felt ready to ignore my plan to tell him my full history and instead confess my undying love. He must have sensed my hesitation.

"Bella, I have something…something to tell you…something I never thought – dreamed to be possible…something I've never spoken aloud…" he paused, apparently trying to organize his thoughts.

I somehow managed to lift my hand to his face and halt his inarticulate but adorable speech. My index finger sealed his perfect, kissable lips, effectively cutting off whatever he wanted to say. I took a step back from him; it was almost painful to do so.

It was his word choice that reminded me why this was important. He had been so open to me about his history, but I had held back some of the most vital parts of my own.

"Wait, please," I said, as I took in the way his face fell and his shoulders hunched slightly, "You have already shared so much with me, Edward. It's me – I'm the one holding back. I owe this to you; you deserve to know my full story, not just the parts that are easy for me to tell. You deserve to know this before you share anything else with me."

I settled in the grass and watched as he followed suit. His face showed only curiosity. As I gazed at him the cloud blocking the sun passed by and his perfect features shimmered with prisms of light. I was momentarily distracted by his beauty. Shaking my head slightly I looked away to the forest and collected my thoughts.

"You already know about most of my human past. Really the only part that I left out was the end of it," I paused, remembering where I had left off in my tale, "You know that I returned to Michigan to live with Charlie after Renee fell into the grips of her drug addiction. While the return to my father offered more stability, I still worried about my mother. In many ways I felt like I was the parent in our relationship. So that's why it hurt so much when she vanished from my life. Not a single call, not a single letter…I heard nothing for almost three years. I often imagined –" my voice broke here momentarily, "- the worst – that she had died alone, only remembering that I abandoned her."

The hurt returned, as I knew it would. _It never fades_, I thought with a mental sigh. Edward edged closer to me; he seemed to be gauging whether or not I wanted his comfort. I decided to press on as he deliberated.

"It wasn't until the end of the summer before my senior year in high school that I finally heard from her. A letter arrived with her untidy scrawl on the envelope. I cannot express to you how excited – how overjoyed – I was, simply knowing that she was still alive."

"The letter was one page in length. In it, my mother expressed how sorry she was for everything she had put me through. She explained that she was receiving treatment in Florida and hoped to see me as soon as she was done there."

I paused again, taking in Edward's expression; he was listening intently.

"I flatter myself in thinking that I'm not normally an impulsive individual; however, in this particular moment I was probably channeling Renee. No sooner had I finished reading the letter than I resolved to go to her. _Fortunately -_" I winced slightly "- the address for her treatment center was on the back side of the envelope."

"I knew that Charlie would never have allowed me to go, so I had to leave without his knowledge. I packed that evening after dinner, hastily saying goodnight in my eagerness for the trek." Again I paused and felt my eyes burn with tears that would never again be shed. "If I had known…if I knew that those would be my last words to my father…" I looked toward the forest, fighting back the tearless sobs that threatened to overtake me.

I heard Edward shift next to me. This time his had reached out and grasped the one that I held in a fist on my lap. I turned to look down at our hands and then into his golden eyes. Instantly, I felt calmed. His simple touch, his acceptance made it possible to go on.

"I departed the very next morning without leaving so much as a note. It was Saturday and Charlie was out on an extended, two-day fishing trip. My plan was to return on Monday, telling him that I had spent most of the weekend – including Sunday night – at a friend's house. He would have been fine with that…" I tapered off remembering the plan vividly, how I was sure he wouldn't ask too many questions if I framed the story as a girls' makeover weekend.

"Anyway, I took a series of buses to Florida. It took 26 hours and all of my cash to make it to the Everglades, but I managed it. For the last few miles I had to walk and hitch hike before reaching the address on the envelope, the Second Breath of Life Recovery Commune. It was morning when I arrived but I remember that it was already humid. My clothing clung to me in the sticky, tropical air. I was covered in sweat by the time I spotted my mother in a lake-front meditation class." I smiled remembering my joy at seeing her silhouette against the murky, green water.

"I ignored the exhaustion and heat that had earlier nearly caused me to pass out and ran to Renee. I basically tackled her after tripping on a root – let's just say that I was not the most graceful human ever to be found. Following several shrieks of happiness, hugs and kisses, we were politely asked to remove our disruptive energies from the group by her meditation leader."

"Renee updated me on what had happened in our time apart, both the low and high points. She had wandered with several other groups into the south wanting to add 'a little Dixie flair' to her music repertoire, but the drugs continued interfering with her pursuit of music. Basically, one day she woke up alone at an abandoned campsite in southern Georgia with no ride, no money and no recollection on how she got there. She decided to leave this lifestyle – leave it all behind her – including the drugs. She was _lucky_ enough to find someone who referred her to the commune," I winced as I considered my mother's _luck_. My gaze focused on Edward's intent expression again and I reminded myself why I was revisiting these painful memories.

"You have to understand that I was happy to see Renee again – so happy to see her coherent and not just interested in finding her next fix. As it turned out, she had just been informed earlier in that it was her graduation day. As was tradition at the commune, the graduating class met for a final meditation session before leaving…" I paused, before continuing at a near whisper, "…with the commune leader…Felipe."

"Although it was generally not acceptable to have family members at the commune, Felipe _allowed_ it because Renee was graduating. It was a small class of only four total, including me. My mother had mentioned with a wink that the instructor was the most handsome man in existence, but I was still struck with how flawless his appearance was. His voice took on a seemingly hypnotic tone as he led the group into meditation. After about a minute he came to stand before Renee and me. He seemed to be concentrating very hard. After another minute I saw Renee's eyes half-close and her shoulders relax like her fellow _graduates_. Then it was just Felipe and me staring at one another. I began to feel anxious as another minute passed with his continuous chanting."

I exhaled and closed my eyes. Edward's hand squeezed mine. I reopened my eyes, feeling somewhat soothed.

"He finally stopped his chanting and gazed at me curiously. His words haunt me even to this day. 'So like your mother, so stubborn…even more resistant somehow…' He looked at the others and returned his gaze to me. His pitch black eyes frightened me as he continued, 'And today I do not have the patience to wait for you to succumb…I've waited longer than usual as it is…' Of course I had no idea what he was talking about and that I was too afraid to actually speak."

"Without a word of warning and moving too quickly for me to see properly, he ran away and began…," I looked up to the clouds passing overhead, "I was in such disbelief as he slaughtered the other two class members that I could only stare stupidly at him. As he reached Renee I finally processed what was happening and began to scream. But it didn't make a difference. I charged at him but he merely pushed me aside and proceeded. Even after he was finished I continued to scream as I stared at her drained body. When he dropped her corpse to the ground and turned to me, I finally stopped screaming. I could only numbly stare at her body. He thought aloud: 'Now, what to do with you…? You are not like…these.' His hand swept across the others. 'And I am no longer thirsty…but you've definitely seen too much…' He paused. 'So much potential…it would be a shame not to see what would happen… Therefore there is only one acceptable solution.'" I grimaced as I remembered the pain. Before he bit me he told me that he would try very hard not to kill me." I didn't need to tell Edward about the pain, the agony experienced during the change. Every vampire remembered that.

"When it was over, let's just say that Felipe had a hard time controlling me. He had been counting on my memories fading; the fact that mine were perfectly intact and freshly painful amazed him. He hadn't expected that I would still feel such a strong connection to Renee, the 'damaged human who gave birth to you' as he liked to call her. He was also surprised that his _charms_ continued to have no affect on me. His gift was the ability to plant suggestions into the minds of others – not quite mind control but close."

Edward's mouth opened and I saw the question plainly there on his face.

"Yes, he was the other one – the one who tried to touch my mind. And, believe me, he was not very gentle." I felt myself flinch involuntarily and felt his hand tighten around mine in response.

"Felipe is in essence a scientist; in a way, he is like a twisted version of Carlisle. He likes to answer questions, and in his own unique way he felt like he was doing a _service_ to mankind. Being a true disciple of Darwin – whose ideas were becoming popular at the time of his own change – he decided to apply these principles to his choice of prey. He felt that he would be helping humanity by weeding out the weak, damaged humans. That was how he came to form the commune and others like it in the past. He hired instructors and councilors as a front for his real purposes. It turns out most of the students left unscathed. Felipe focused on the individuals who were alone, those without close contact to family or friends. When the other commune members never heard from some of their peers, there was never great concern. Everyone assumed that the vanished individual had relapsed and or was keeping a low profile."

"I later learned that Felipe had encouraged my mother to write a letter to me and that he offered to send it for her. Only then did I realize that Renee had never intended to give me the address to the commune; it was Felipe's neat handwriting on the reverse of the envelope that led me to her. He had sent the letter in the hopes that I would eventually visit. He just hadn't counted on me coming so quickly, certainly not before Renee's _graduation_."

"My mother, you see, was the only individual he had encountered who was resistant to his gift. When he found out that Renee had a daughter, he was incredibly curious to see if this resistance was genetic. It took him three times as long as it normally would to plant a suggestion in her mind. However, Felipe finally convinced her to write the letter and, with a second suggestion, to ask him to send it. I'm sure you can imagine his surprise when he could not reach me over any length of time."

Edward inclined his head and waited for me to continue.

"I stayed with Felipe for only about five years before leaving on my own. By then my bloodlust was marginally under control, and, honestly, I was ready to get away from him. It was just too painful to relive his commune scheme again and again."

"The human memories?" Edward's silky voice queried.

"Yes, they remain to this day – less vivid that my vampire memories – but they are still present," I paused one last time working up my nerve for the rest. "Felipe called my gift an impenetrable barrier when he first met me…nothing gets in…nothing gets out..."

I turned to kneel directly in front of Edward and took his other hand. "A barrier it may be, but one thing that I can thank my creator for was learning to control my gift…learning how to let someone in…"

Gathering my strength I pushed the band-like barrier away from me as far as possible. When Edward's gasp sounded I knew that he could _hear_ me. All of the things I had shown him about my human and vampire life flashed through my mind. Then I showed him the difference since I had met him and his family. The memories were noticeably brighter, happier. Finally, my thoughts turned to him specifically, the first time I detected his scent in the air, the first time I saw him and every moment since then. I remembered my realization just before coming to the field and happiness of the discovery.

"So, you see, I finally put it all together. Over the course of a handful of days my world has come unhinged and it will never be the same…all because of you. I will never be the same, and I never wish to be the same. Edward Cullen, I am in love with you."

There was no verbal acknowledgement, no response escaped his lips – mostly because he launched himself at me and captured my own lips with his. I fell to my side pulling him down with me. His soft lips worshiped my own as my hand snaked around to caress the nape of his neck. My mind was singing with happiness.

_Even though he didn't say it aloud, this must mean that he feels the same way, right?_ The question floated through my mind.

He pulled back slightly even as my hand fought to bring his lips back to mine. "Silly, Bella. Do I really need to spell this out for you?" I realized that my barrier was still vanished.

His kissed my left temple. "Bella Swan –" his lips touched my forehead "- from the moment…I saw you…even from the moment…I _saw_ you in a vision…I have been…truly…deeply…madly…in love with you." His light kisses across my face punctuated his pauses.

I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I was holding and firmly directed his mouth back to mine. My other arm reached around his back and pulled the rest of him to me. His tongue eagerly greeted my own and I felt one of his hands brushing my side and the bottom of my sweater vest – a non-verbal request. My back arched allowing him to remove the article of clothing – the rest of which soon followed.

Amid the flowers and long grass of our meadow and below the brilliant warmth of the sun, Edward and I made love for the first time.

_A/N: Yes, I held off on the lemony goodness…first-time fanfiction writer jitters and all. Please either use your imaginations or request a one-shot…I might be open to that. _

_I really hope that you liked this chapter. It occurred to me that this might be a decent stopping point, but there is another loose end left to tie. So hopefully you will stick around for the ride…more action to come. _

_Thanks to all of the reviewers and, yes, you silent, story stalkers…ooh, alliteration. _


	17. Chapter 17

Edward-POV

_Bliss…pure unadulterated bliss…_ the thought floated, lazily through my mind. The last two days had been beyond belief. Even having my insights, my knowledge of the couples' happiness in my family; this had been noting to prepare me. Experiencing the joy second-hand paled in comparison to what I was feeling for my Bella. Nothing in the many books I had read, plays I had seen and minds I had visited had prepared me for the pleasure, the connection…the bliss.

Bella and I had managed to express our love physically numerous times over the last two days. It took us the better part Friday to actually move from the field and through the forest in order to return to the house, as one of us tackled the other several times over the course of the trek. When we finally returned to the house the lovemaking took on an even new flavor as we explored most of the rooms on each floor. My personal favorites, however, were the piano bench seat punctuated by dramatic flourishes on the instrument and the backseat of my car. The latter possibly for the sheer amusement of seeing Bella roll her eyes and playfully mumble something about _dealing with the fantasies of an eternally seventeen year old boy_ before racing ahead of me to the garage.

Between our many intimate moments we filled the gaps in our understanding of one another. Bella explained to me the brief time she spent as a nomad after leaving Felipe. On the one hand, she was away from her creator, but on the other hand she was extremely tempted to return to Charlie, thereby giving him some closure. She never did follow through with this plan, if only because she was terrified that she might attack him. She had remained in the southeast in order to stay away from the temptation to return to Michigan. During this time she met two others of our kind with whom she stayed for the next two decades, Victoria and James. Bella did not give too many details about the duo other than to say that she was thankful to have stayed with them for Charlie's sake. Other than that she did not mention why she left them nearly 15 years ago. While I normally would have asked a follow up question about this, I quickly became distracted by Bella's nude form sinking into the Jacuzzi bathtub in Carlisle and Esme's suite.

At another point we talked about hunting in the traditional sense. Bella explained that she was opportunistic when she had hunted humans. To her it had only to do with bad timing on the human's part. She did not specifically choose her prey; they were merely misfortunate in crossing her path. Except for children – by whom she had never been tempted – any human was fair game. It was in memory of Renee that she was indiscriminate while hunting; her feeling was that it was up to fate to decide.

After hearing this sentiment I felt very nervous to tell her about my time away from the family and my own God complex that was in many ways similar to that of her creator, Felipe. It was with great trepidation that I awaited her reply, her mind having gone silent for the time being. After a brief thoughtful pause, she explained that it was in the past and that to her my hunting differed from that of Felipe. Whereas he made assumptions about the permanent, irreparable damage of those he selected, I _knew_ for certain about their intentions. To her it was as simple as that, and this I also knew for certain when she opened her mind to convey her thoughts to me directly. The relief I felt was palpable and soon followed excitement as Bella recalled a charming, two hundred year old desk in the library that she wanted to reexamine…immediately.

Later we discussed some lingering questions she had about the family. I told her about Rosalie being my 'intended' if Carlisle had had his way; to which Bella began laughing hysterically. She'd said that she could scarcely think of a more ill-matched couple. I informed her of the many bets my brothers had made about her over the last two weeks; the sheer number of bets – 34 in total – shocked her. She asked how I felt about Esme as a mother and Carlisle as a father. I explained to her as best I could what it meant to me and to them. It was comforting to know that I was a son to them rather than just another coven member, as I had seen in others of our kind. For me, they were the only parents that really counted based on my own awareness; memories of my biological parents primarily consisted of Carlisle's recall of them in their fevered, deliriously ill states. Carlisle and Esme, in the only ways that mattered in my current existence, were my true parents. I was certain that they loved me even after my time away from the family and that they had been genuinely concerned about me as the 'singleton in the bunch'. At this Bella had embraced me and trailed kisses from my lips, up my jaw-line and finally ending just below my ear. She then proceeded to both tell me and show me that my parents need no longer worry on this point.

More than any other topic there were many declarations of love and devotion over the last two days. Many 'I love yous' of both the soft, reverent and fiery, passionate varieties peppered our discussions and activities. Besides her first admission in our meadow the most memorable had come just a short time ago, for me at least. We were just making our way to her bed for – amazingly – the first time when she added something new to her statement. _Edward, oh Edward…I love you…forever._ That last word, sealing her love for me for eternity and confirming aloud what I already felt to be true…it was yet another amazing moment during these two short days. The passion this awakened in me resulted in a splintered headboard, a hole punched through the wall far above the headboard, a mangled nightstand lamp and a blizzard of fluffy white goose feathers from one or more of the pillows on the bed. The consequence of the goose feathers was Bella's retreat to the shower to remove them from her hair and her polite – but firm – refusal of my assistance in the shower. My only comfort was that she promised to make it up to me.

My thoughts were interrupted by her emergence from the bathroom between our two bedrooms and appearance at the top of the stairs. She moved down the stairs at a slow, almost human speed allowing me to take in the short, silky, black 'bathrobe' that left nothing to the imagination. She sauntered past where I was seated, just beyond my reach on a path that took her past the piano. She skimmed her hand along the glossy finish as she passed by…her attention seemingly focused on the room beyond. She paused at the business end of the instrument and turned her head to look back down at the keys. I could now see a small smile on her lips even though her eyes still gazed at the keys. She struck a single note – an F sharp – and held it. Suddenly, her eyes shot up to meet mine and her smile grew broader, giving her a calculating look. She turned and continued walking. She was almost in the next room when she looked back once more…apparently checking to make sure I remained where I was. I had to crane my neck to see past the piano and through the doorway, but I was able to see her leaning against the island. Her eyes burned into mine. Slowly, painfully slowly she placed her hands on the surface behind her and lifted herself to a seated position. Then, equally as slowly, she leaned back so that she was resting on her forearms and parted her legs ever so slightly. She rolled her head in an all-too-human fashion, removing nonexistent kinks in her neck. I was all but panting and my fingers were nearly tearing through the armchair's fabric.

Still rolling her neck, she finally spoke, "You know, when I first entered this house I was certain that this kitchen was the owners' pride and joy."

She paused, as her head continued to roll slightly and I heard her still-wet hair brushing across the shiny, granite surface.

"Now imagine my surprise when I discovered that the owners eat out_ all of the time_," she said, sounding aghast.

Suddenly her gaze met my own with an electric sizzle, "Wouldn't you agree, Edward, that this space is _shockingly_ underutilized?"

The invitation was clear and I was there in a nanosecond. "I do agree, Ms. Swan…but, pray, what do you propose that we do about this?"

Her hands suddenly gripped either side of the unbuttoned shirt I had slipped on, bringing us nose to nose. "It's really quite simple, Mr. Cullen, we give this room a purpose by cooking up something hot and steamy," she punctuated the last words by wrapping her legs around me and firmly pulling my lower half against her.

I was unable to stifle the groan that escaped my lips, before her head lifted and turned slightly to press her own lips against mine. The hands that had been gripping my shirt were now inside it, caressing my chest and back…then moving lower…

_Edward…Edward, it's me,_ a timid but very familiar voice stated. _Look, I'm really, really, really, __really__ sorry about this, but we're home early. I promise that there is a good reason, but for now you may just want to…um…freshen up a bit. We'll be at the front door in 10 minutes. By the way, maybe if __someone__ had left his cell phone on, this wouldn't be such short notice..._

Reluctantly, I broke away from Bella's lips and placed my forward against hers with a sigh. She immediately noticed the change in my mood and sat up fully.

"Edward, what is it? What's the matter?"

"I just _heard_ from Alice. The family is back early for some reason…probably due to one of her visions. They will be here in 10 minutes."

Bella's reaction was instantaneous and violent. No sooner had '10 minutes' come out of my mouth than I found myself flung back all the way to the piano. Bella zoomed past me straightening furniture we had strewn about on the first floor. She then grasped my hand and pulled me upstairs.

"Here, you take the rooms to the left and I'll take the right side," she said as she ran to carry out her tasks. It was then that I heard her mental voice, _I'm sorry, but I just cannot have them return to this mess…I don't want to anger them, especially Esme… Oh no, our rooms…_

I was at her side in hundredth of a second looking into my room. Five of my shelves were destroyed, the results of which were CDs and vinyls littering the floor, one of my floor lamps – still turned on – was hanging precariously from an open window, and the sofa was…well…beyond repair. I knew that her room was in similar shape. It was then that I had a stroke of brilliance, a technique used by adolescents the world over. I simply closed the doors – a rare occurrence for unoccupied rooms in the Cullen household. I knew that Emmett would be drawn to this anomaly like a moth to flame, but I immediately resolved to head him off.

"But…" I cut off her statement with a kiss.

"I will keep Emmett out until we can repair and replace things," I whispered into her ear, "We really should get dressed though."

She glanced down at our attire – or lack thereof – and immediately bolted for her room. I did the same and then met her, fully dressed, in the living room downstairs. She stood, still as stone, gazing at the front door as we heard the first car pull up to the house. Her mind was closed but I could almost feel the anxiety rolling off of her. I slipped my arm around her waist, breaking her seeming trance. Her eyes met mine and I leaned down to kiss her forehead. I felt her relax into my side and exhale softly.

My family's _voices_ were nearer, but their thoughts jumbled and full of questions themselves. Apparently, Alice had decided not to tell anyone the reason for the early return.

Alice was, of course, the first one to burst through the door and effusively congratulate the two of us. The rest of the family entered and immediately happy thoughts filled the room as they took in how close we stood. The one exception was Jasper, whose thoughts were a little dark as handed over several hundred dollars to Emmett. Rosalie was simply happy that I would be less crabby from now on. I frowned at her slightly. Esme really held back in verbalizing the joy she was experiencing; her thoughts were almost nauseating.

It was Carlisle who finally broke up the reunion, "Alright, Alice, now that we are all together –"

"- _all_ _together_, alright!" Emmett interrupted, unable to control himself. Rosalie and Alice simultaneously smacked a shoulder and the backside of his head.

Carlisle shook his head and continued, "Could you please enlighten us on your latest vision?"

Alice's mind revisited the vision, so that I could have the benefit of seeing it as well. "It's another coven – three total," she explained to the others, "I see them coming to us here today, but it's unclear what they want."

"Do you recognize them?" Carlisle directed his question to both of us.

Alice shook her head and I replied, "No, neither by appearance or scent."

"Maybe it's someone from the south," Jasper said, "What do they look like? Did you hear any names?"

I watched the vision again with Alice. It was murky at best, strangely unclear. "It shows three of them meeting with us. The only one who stands out is the female; she has bright, curly, red hair."

I felt Bella stiffen at my side before speaking softly, "And the two others are males?"

Alice nodded.

"Does one of them have platinum blond hair pulled into a ponytail?"

I looked again as Alice did. You could just make out the ponytail at one point. "Yes! Bella, who are they?"

Her eyes met mine before looking back to Alice. "It's my old coven, Victoria and James, along with a somewhat recent addition, Laurent. Victoria must have checked her email yesterday…" She trailed off for a moment before continuing, "…because I invited them to visit me before I met all of you."

_A/N: I'm back! Hope everyone is enjoying the summer. I will try to be good about updating. _


	18. Chapter 18

_Last Chapter: __ "It's my old coven, Victoria and James, along with a somewhat recent addition, Laurent. Victoria must have checked her email yesterday…" She trailed off for a moment before continuing, "…because I invited them to visit me before I met all of you."_

Bella-POV

Of course they all knew bits and pieces of my past with James and Victoria, but only Edward knew the intimate details of why I left. Even with the sour taste left in my mouth from their games, I reminded myself that I would have gladly welcomed them for this visit just days ago. But now…now I only felt a bit of wariness at their coming. I watched Jasper's brow furrow in response to my feelings and soon felt Edwards arm snake around my waist in a show of comfort.

The moment passed in expectant silence before Jasper spoke to what he was detecting, "Bella, is there anything we need to know about this Laurent or your former coven-mates?"

Looking down slightly, I hesitated a bit as I collected my thoughts. "Really, I don't know much about Laurent. He is several hundred years old, I believe, and from France or at least a French-speaking part of the world. He joined Victoria and James within the last few years…"

I paused again and saw that Jasper did not seem satisfied with my incomplete answer, as his lips turned downward ever so slightly. His eyes glanced to my side, to meet Edward's gaze, a clue I had long since learned to interpret as a private aside. I took in the others briefly as I prepared to verbalize the diffuse wariness that surrounded me. Alice had a dreamy look about her, the sort of sightless stare that spoke of potential futures. Emmett was waiting impatiently, looking – for all his bulk – like a little boy excited at the prospect of trouble. For once, Rosalie was gazing at me with only a moderate amount of contempt. Esme and Carlisle's matching expressions showed only compassion and curiosity.

Jasper's voice interrupted my inspection of the others, "Then what is it that has you ill at ease?" Even as I opened my mouth to respond, I was promptly interrupted by him. "And do not pretend that you are not." His eyes glanced to Edward's protective arm around me and the way I was leaning into his body for comfort. "We have other friends – others who do not maintain our diet – that visit us from time to time. Such visits have not been problematic in the past." His eyes glanced over to Alice before he spoke again, "But perhaps there is something else we should know about these visitors…?"

A sigh nearly escaped my lips as I recalled Edward saying something about it being impossible to have secrets in this household. _How true, how true…_

"It's not really Victoria or even this Laurent that has me concerned. In truth my only worry has to do with James. His actions were always so unpredictable…like leaving us on a whim to chase an interesting, month-old scent for several weeks. It was always a snap decision" I winced slightly, looking sympathetically to Alice, "and the chase often turned into a sort of game for him, a grand challenge. For months at a time he would be content to hunt in our usual – as he sometimes called it – mundane way. But then he would catch a scent from a freight plane and pursue it to Hong Kong or Santiago without so much as telling us he was off. Worse stiil, if the chase left him unsatisfied, then he seemed to find enjoyment in tormenting his prey. It was ultimately because of him, his bragging about making a child choose which parent died first, that I decided to leave. It's his mixture of unpredictability and cool indifference that has me worried. I'm really not sure how he will react to your lives here, to this lifestyle. My worst fear is that he would somehow twist this visit to your – no – _our_ home, _our_ family into a perverse game."

I looked down, not wanting to see any rejection at my last statement, and began planning to find a way to head off the group before they reached Forks. This incomplete thought was promptly interrupted by Alice practically launching herself at me.

"Oh, no you don't!" Her forefinger nearly poked me in the chin as she wagged it at me mid-reprimand, "If you think you can just waltz up to your old coven, pretend to join them in order to lead them away from here and not factor in 'crazy' here," her wagging finger disappeared into a fist before jabbing her thumb into Edward's bicep, "You've got another thing coming! He will track you, over-react to what he sees and _hears_, which will lead to a fight with both of your lives being lost. If that's what you're aiming for, then…well, then…by all means sneak out to meet them tonight!" With a huff, she turned on her heel and returned to her husband's embrace, looking at me through squinting, annoyed eyes.

"Sorry, it wasn't even a fully formed plan. I just want to protect you – all of you…" I whispered.

Carlisle stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder, "But as you said, _you_ are part of this family and_ we_ protect our own. Even still, perhaps your worry is unnecessary. Their visit may be no different than that of our other friends." Carlisle gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze and warm smile before stepping back.

A brief silence was then interrupted as Edward's voice rumbled beside me, "What was that Emmett?"

Emmett sighed and crossed his arms in a seeming huff, "It's just that we finally have a visitor who appreciates a good game and we are afraid that he's going to go psycho on us. I mean, I haven't had a fair wrestling match in a while." Had I not know about Emmett's competitive spirit I might have been offended by his insensitivity here.

I felt Edward's head twist to look at Alice as they shared a look. "It's not a bad idea really…" Edward mused cryptically. They continued to stare at one another for a few beats.

Esme's impatience bled through with a sigh, "Really, you two…"

A smile shined on Alice's face, "It's brilliant …focusing the excess…yes, well done Emmett…it's just the thing…"

Emmett's face showed bald faced confusion at this comment, "Uh, thanks, I guess."

Nails drumming on the table next to her, Rosalie finally broke her silence, "Care to provide specifics to the non-mind readers in the crowd?"

Alice blinked and then excitedly launched into a description of her plans. "It's the perfect recipe for distraction. We'll meet them – and I mean all of us, Bella – in a field a little ways out of town. They are arriving at the perfect time, during a thunderstorm – "

At the word 'thunderstorm' Emmett clapped his hands together, "Oh yeah, bring it on!" Jasper and Rosalie also seemed to smile a bit, apparently understanding the implication as well.

Alice frowned a bit at Emmett for his interruption, "As I was saying…they are arriving during a thunderstorm, so it offers us the perfect chance to engage them in one of the great Cullen traditions... baseball!"

I felt an eyebrow lift upward in a bit of skepticism and turned to gaze at Edward. I had never known James and Victoria to be interested in the great American pastime, but maybe it _would_ be a good distraction…

"Just think about it, Bella. If you are worried about his need for _entertainment_, then let's focus his attention. We can make him play our game rather than allowing him to create his own," Edward whispered into my ear. Of course the others heard this as well.

Edward's breath on my ear and neck momentarily distracted me. I had a flash-back to our activities just a few hours ago…

I distantly heard Jasper clear his throat. _Focus!_, I reminded myself mentally and realized that Edward heard this thought when I felt him chuckling lightly.

Everyone seemed to be looking to me to make the final decision. As I opened my lips to agree, I saw Alice's smile grow larger still, "I think it could work. I have never known Victoria and James to play baseball, but, then again, we were never together with such a large number of our kind." My thoughts were still a bit trepidatious though.

"Bella, it looks like this may be our best option. Like Carlisle said, things may turn out to be just fine – the vision looks like a good time, if you ask me," Alice said in an attempt to soothe me. Her face then took on a far-off look. "In fact, the biggest problem I foresee is that you haven't a clue how to play baseball!"

Emmett was at my side in an instant. "Bella – little sis – welcome to spring – er – fall training! Let's go set up a diamond!"

Edward reluctantly released his hold on my waist as Emmett pulled me away to the backyard. In no time, we had our 'field' set up thanks to a few shirts that Alice could no longer tolerate seeing the rest of us wear. Jasper joined us during the setup with a few bats and a bucket of baseballs in hand. Soon everyone was standing nearby watching. I could barely make out Esme, Carlisle and Edward discussing the specifics of our meeting with my old coven. Alice seemed to think that the game should happen around 4pm tomorrow.

Emmett pulled my attention away from my eavesdropping. "Okay, Bella, what do you know about the game? Anything at all?"

I wracked my brain for whatever information I could recall. My father had been interested in baseball, but he had never really bothered to explain the game to me. "Um, I think you get a point if you make it all the way around the diamond…?"

Emmett's booming laughter filled the yard. "Replace 'point' with 'run' and you are off to a good start. At least you know a little bit about _the bases and scoring_ already."

If such a thing were possible, I would have been bright red after this comment. I heard Edward's warning growl behind me.

"Alright, alright…I couldn't resist," Emmett held up his hands and managed to sneak in a wink to me that went unnoticed by Edward.

Emmett and Jasper then went into the rules of the game, pointing out a few vampire-specific modifications. For example, any pitch within 5 feet of the batter was considered 'in the strike zone'. Since we didn't have any thunder to cover batting practice we decided to just throw the ball around this evening.

I had just jumped to catch a high toss from Alice when I felt a hand wrap around my ankle and a strong pull into a rock hard body. Edward squeezed me tight and took a quick whiff of my hair before peppering kisses along my jaw and neck.

I hummed my appreciation, before giggling a bit at his timing. "Mmm…Edward…as much as I enjoy your little interruption, I am going to have to kindly request to be on the other team so I can remain focused."

Alice's head suddenly appeared over Edward's shoulder. "I couldn't agree more, Bella. I was going to suggest it to begin with!"

Edward sighed against my neck before he huffed, "Alice, we're having a moment here…"

"Oh, right! Sorry!" she smiled before dancing back to Jasper's side. "I need to plan the outfits for tomorrow…hm, I'm not sure that Bella has anything baseball appropriate…"

Edward resumed his ministrations to my neck and now shoulder, but I wasn't distracted enough to miss where Alice was heading with that thought. "No shopping trips, Alice!"

Hearing a grudging, "Fine, I'll make it work," I turned my attention back to Edward. I probably should have been embarrassed with such a display in front of his family, but I found that I couldn't bring myself to feel abashed. And it appeared that they had all – Alice aside – quietly left us alone.

Running my hands through his wild hair, I softly nipped his earlobe and whispered a suggestion to him. He pulled away from my shoulder and gazed at me with hooded eyes. Taking my hand, he led me in the direction of our field. I knew not what tomorrow would bring, but I would be damned if tonight would be spent worrying about it.

_A/N: Bad author! Bad, bad author! Sorry all. No excuses this time. I'm just a bum. I really do intend to complete this story. _


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